Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
A European statement issued by the European Commission in Brussels on Sunday said that in light of the unfolding situation in Lampedusa, and recognizing the increasing pressure along various migration routes, European Commission President von der Leyen has set out the following set of immediate measures that must be exercised in full respect for fundamental rights. and international obligations:
Strengthening support to Italy by the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) and the European Border and Coast Guard (Frontex) to manage the large number of migrants to ensure registration of arrivals, fingerprinting, debriefing and referral to the relevant authorities.
Support the transfer of people out of Lampedusa, including to other Member States using the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism, with particular attention to unaccompanied minors and women.
Intensifying returns through renewed and coordinated outreach to the main countries of origin of new arrivals, namely Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Burkina Faso, to improve cooperation and facilitate readmission; and increasing support provided by Frontex, including in terms of training and capacity building, to ensure the rapid implementation of returns.
Supporting departure prevention by establishing operational partnerships on combating smuggling with countries of origin and transit. This includes the possibility of reaching a working arrangement between Tunisia and Frontex, and the formation of a coordination task force at Europol to focus on combating smuggling along the route to Tunisia and on to Lampedusa.
Intensify border control at sea and air surveillance, including through Frontex, and explore options for expanding naval missions in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, we will accelerate the provision of equipment and increase training for the Tunisian Coast Guard and other law enforcement authorities.
Take measures to reduce the use of unseaworthy vessels and take action against smugglers' supply chains and logistics; Ensure that boats and recovered boats are disabled.
Increase EUAA support for implementing rapid and expedited border procedures, including using the safe country of origin concept, rejecting requests as unfounded, issuing entry bans and registering them in the Schengen Information System (SIS).
Increase awareness and communication campaigns to discourage Mediterranean crossings, while continuing to work to offer alternatives such as humanitarian acceptance and legal pathways.
Intensify cooperation with UNHCR and IOM to adopt a comprehensive route-based approach to ensure protection along the way and increase assistance for voluntary returns from transit countries.
   Implement the EU-EU (MoU) Memorandum of Understanding and prioritize actions with immediate impact to address the current situation and accelerate the contracting of new projects under the MoU.
  European Union Council President Charles Michel said that migration is a European challenge that requires a European response. No member state will be left alone. Michel wrote on Twitter yesterday: “We will have discussions on migration at the informal Granada summit. This will be an opportunity to review the progress achieved since June and look forward to our discussion at the end of October.”
  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the Italian island of Lampedusa today, Sunday, which was crowded with thousands of migrants arriving this week. She said in her statements on the sidelines of the visit: “It is very important for me to be in Lampedusa today. I am here to provide a coordinated response by Italian and European authorities. I would like to present to you a 10-point action plan
Eric Mamer, spokesman for the President of the European Commission, confirmed in a press statement on Saturday that von der Leyen’s visit was “at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni,” according to the Associated Press.
On September 15, Italy called for United Nations intervention to confront the enormous pressures represented by the increasing number of irregular migrants arriving from Africa.
Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani said, on the sidelines of the annual industrial conference of the Confindustria Federation in the capital, Rome: “We will talk about the problem resulting from the situation in Africa during the United Nations General Assembly, which will be held next week in New York,” according to the government news agency ANSA.