EU still divided over plan to distribute migrants

16 giugno 2015

2 min di lettura

(AGI) Rome, June 16 - Ireland, Switzerland, Norway andLichtenstein are prepared to adhere to the EU plan todistribute asylum seekers more equally across all 28 EU states.The news was reported by a European Commission source followingthe interior ministers' meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday.Ireland will be able to take advantage of the clause exemptingit from decisions on migrant policy, but showed interest inadhering to the EU plan. According to the same source,Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein had previously confirmedtheir intention to voluntarily adhere to the plan to distribute40,000 asylum seekers. All three countries belong to theSchengen Borderless Area, but not to the EU, and wouldtherefore not be obliged to adhere to the EU plan. Thesituation at Ponte San Ludovico, in Ventimiglia, has calmeddown after a police intervention during the morning to move onmigrants that had spent days in the gardens a few metres fromthe French border. Two Eritreans, who resisted the officers,were held and taken to the police station. The other migrantswere taken to the railway station, where a mobile Red Crosssurgery has also been set up. Another hundred or more refugeesmanaged to avoid being moved on, and are refusing to leave theBalzi Rossi cliffs. Many are exhausted and dehydrated, havingbeen on a hunger fast for the last two days. Italy's PresidentSergio Mattarella said on a visit to Vicenza that migrantreception was "complicated and necessary and seriousness andintelligence were needed, things that Italy was capable ofbringing into play". Italy's Interior Minister, Angelo Alfano,and his French and German counterparts, Bernard Cazeneuve andThomas De Maiziere, spoke of a "good atmosphere" between theEuropean partners, who were in agreement over the jointmanagement of the migration phenomenon. Mr Alfano said thenumber of migrants for distribution was still under discussion."There are no face to face talks, nor a lack of comprehension,just a willingness to work together", said Mr Cazeneuve, whileMr De Maiziere said he was "more hopeful than he had beenbefore the meeting". (AGI). .