France and Italy want a long-term European solution to respond to migration difficulties. Paris and Rome have been at odds since last week over the ship’s fate Oceanic Viking. The boat finally docked in Toulon where the 230 migrants the survivors were able to dismount.
The Italian authorities had refused to open the country’s ports. The transalpine foreign minister relaunched this question during the meeting with his EU counterparts.
“We have put the migration issue on the table, which is a European problem. It is not a problem between Italy and France or between Italy and Germany. I was very clear, I specified that for us the problem must be studied and resolved at the community level“, points out Antonio Tajani.
Italy requests the establishment of a code of Conduct for vessels owned by NGOs. With three other Mediterranean member countries: Greece, Malta and Cyprus, the Italian government has signed a letter requesting an effective mechanismfair and permanent way to share the European effort for migrants arriving by sea.
However, the tensions between Paris and Rome seem to have eased since the phone call between the two presidents: Emmanuel Macron and Sergio Mattarella.
Under European and international law, all ships must disembark people rescued at sea in the “nearest place of safety”. A duty recalled by the European Commission. Italy’s failure to meet this commitment angered France.
“We denounce a unilateral, aragmatic unacceptable, ineffective and unjust decision by the current Italian government, which calls for European answers“, insists the spokesman of the French government, Olivier Véran.
In this context, France has has suspended its transfer process asylum seekers arriving in Italy, a voluntary procedure established in June among 18 member states. In addition, Paris has tightened controls along the Italian border.
The European Commission is calling for an extraordinary meeting of the 27 interior ministers to continue the discussions, but a date has not yet been found.
