Refugee on Lampedusa. Cecilia Fabiano / AP
7,000 refugees to Italian island in two days: "Crisis"
The Italian island of Lampedusa has around 6,000 inhabitants and the capacity to receive around 400 migrants. This week, the number of refugees to the island has increased dramatically. The island's mayor says around 7,000 people arrived on the island in 48 hours earlier this week.
- This small island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea has been put in a crisis, says the mayor Filippo Mannino according to CNN.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is now appealing for help from the EU. The EU has responded by scheduling a telephone meeting with the interior ministers of Italy, France, Germany and Spain. In addition, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit the island with Meloni on Sunday.
Lampedusa, Italy
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Migrants on Lampedusa. Cecilia Fabiano / AP
Expert: Migration is approaching a record year in 2015
The number of migrants who make it to the EU has increased sharply this year and the levels are beginning to approach those during the crisis years of 2015 and 2016. This is what Bernd Paruse, researcher at the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, told DN .
During the first six months of the year, almost 520,000 asylum applications came into the EU. It is the second highest number in a six-month period to date.
Bernd Parusel is concerned about the situation and says that there is no indication that the pressure seems to be easing.
- At the same time, many EU countries are very keen to reduce the number of migrants who make it to the EU, he tells DN.
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