Assisting migrants are in jeopardy amidst French-Italian conflict
On Thursday, a French-Italian dispute over a ship stranded in the Mediterranean with its passengers and crew desperately seeking shore was upending a commitment for Europe to rescue asylum seekers collectively.
Since Italy’s hard-right government refused to allow people to board last month, the crew of the Ocean Viking has been attempting to dock. The center-right French government announced on Thursday that it would accept them but would leave a larger EU scheme for more equitably dispersing immigrants.
The news led to a general increase in hostilities between the hitherto cordial neighbours. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin stated that France would “take measures in the coming hours to reinforce border security with Italy” and modify bilateral ties accordingly.
Italy did not agree to act like a responsible European state, which France sincerely regrets, he said. The conflict may signal the end of a June agreement to ease pressure on Mediterranean countries that take in the majority of refugees, who are typically from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. According to Darmanin, France has suspended its participation in the international agreement since Italy violated its obligations. He asked other nations to follow suit.
Matteo Piantedosi, the interior minister of Italy, criticised the French decision as being “completely inexplicable.” About 90,000 migrants, according to Piantedosi, have entered Italy this year. The agreement to accept 8,000 came from thirteen European nations. He said that only 117 of the refugees have been resettled, with 38 of them in France, which he described as “completely insufficient.”
Assisting migrants are in jeopardy amidst French-Italian conflict
According to Piantedosi, “European unity is being hailed, but Italy has so far dealt with this issue on its own and our reception system is facing very major difficulties. 57 children are among the approximately 230 passengers on board the Ocean Viking ship, who also hail from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, and Syria. SOS Mediterranee, the humanitarian organisation that runs it, claims that more than 40 of them are unaccompanied youngsters.
