It comes as no surprise to BNR Europe reporter Geert-Jan Hahn that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has just declared a state of emergency over the refugee problem. “Italy indicates: we can no longer do it alone”.
Numbers don’t lie. At least 441 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean in the past three months. And perhaps another 300 will be added, because so many refugees are still missing. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), this is the deadliest quarter in the Mediterranean since 2017. The number of migrants reaching Italian shores has also quadrupled this year.
Prime Minister Meloni declared a state of emergency on Tuesday due to the large influx of refugees. His timing doesn’t surprise Geert-Jan Hahn. “It indicates: we really need help from Brussels, because we can’t do it alone anymore.”
Sure, there was a summit in February of this year where the refugee crisis was on the agenda. “But that only solved part of the problem,” says Hahn. ‘Actually only one point was discussed: the strengthening of Fortress Europe. It was even a question of whether Europe should allocate money to erect fences on its external borders. But there are many other reasons why migrants come to Europe.’
Fake solution
Several Member States simply do not want to cooperate with another solution: the fair redistribution of migrants between European countries. “This is annoying for a country like Italy, which is geographically located on the Mediterranean Sea and therefore absorbs the heaviest blows.”
In response to this, the European Parliament is being told that a redistribution can also mean that countries provide financial support, instead of shelters. But according to the European journalist, this is a fictitious solution. Now look at Italy: because it declares a state of emergency, it will receive money from Europe. But what do you do with that? With it you are not buying a permanent solution.’
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
