Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-09-Speech-3-116-000"
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"en.20120509.18.3-116-000"2
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"Mr President, everybody is aware that Italy faced very high migratory pressure from North African countries last year, especially after the events in Tunisia and Libya. Some 60 000 migrants arrived, many of them needing protection. Numbers so far this year are much lower: 790 people were intercepted in the first three months of the year. We all hope the situation in North Africa will continue to stabilise, but people are still likely to try to cross the Mediterranean. Large influxes remain possible, and Europe needs to be ready to react. That, by the way, is not just an Italian issue; it is a matter of concern to the whole of Europe.
The EU acted quickly last year to support Italy, notably through the Hermes and Aeneas border surveillance operations coordinated by Frontex. Frontex stands ready to support Italy this year too. Those operations both intercept irregular migrants and rescue those in distress. Preventing tragedies at sea is a key objective. The Eurosur system we proposed last year should also help by improving detection and tracking of small boats, which should enable faster rescue missions.
Some of those arriving are fleeing persecution and violence and need international protection. EU asylum rules aim to ensure that those who need it have effective access to asylum procedures, even when they are part of mixed migration flows. The Commission closely monitors the implementation of those rules.
The closure of Lampedusa as a safe port of disembarkation is a matter of concern, something we quickly communicated to the Italian authorities. Commissioner Malmström was in Rome two weeks ago, and she was pleased to hear that Italy intends to renovate the damaged facilities so that Lampedusa can again become a point of first reception, assistance and initial screening before migrants are transferred to centres elsewhere in Italy, where their possible needs for protection can be assessed. The Commission looks forward to hearing the date for the reopening, and that reopening is part of a wider proposal which the new Italian Government has run up for an integrated strategy on management of the EU southern border. This proposal is very welcome, and we look forward to seeing how it is taken forward. The Reception Conditions Directive obliges the Member States to provide asylum seekers with appropriate accommodation. The Member States have some flexibility in how this is provided, and specifically designated reception centres are one option.
The Commission is in close contact with the Italian authorities with a view to ensuring appropriate conditions and will not hesitate to take appropriate action. When it comes to the detention of irregular migrants, the Return Directive includes important safeguards, notably, that the detainees must be kept in specialised facilities and must always be separated from ordinary prisoners. Families must be given separate accommodation, and children need access to education. The NGOs should be able to visit, and the detainees need to be able to contact their families and legal representatives. Both asylum seekers and those subject to a return procedure must have access at least to essential health care. Italy notified the Commission of its transposition of the Return Directive last year. We are currently checking that this was done in line with the directive.
As far as the guarantees I just mentioned are concerned, initial findings are that Italy has correctly transposed them. To help address those challenges, Italy has received substantial financial support from the EU, with a total of EUR 232 million allocated for 2010, making it one of the largest beneficiaries of the ‘Solidarity and management of migration flows’ general programme. This is before you count emergency financial support, which was over 18 million last year – and part of that was used to expand and develop government reception centres. The EU is also developing deeper contacts on migration and mobility issues with the southern Mediterranean countries where possible, notably including Tunisia and Libya."@en1
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