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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have pledged to tackle the issue of migration during a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday (September 17).
The tiny fishing island was overwhelmed with nearly 7,000 arrivals in a single day this week.
Ms von der Leyen says the E-U will be the one will be in charge of who enters its area.
“This (migration flux) puts Lampedusa under pressure, creating a very difficult situation for its people. Prime Minister Meloni and I are here today to offer a coordinated response by the Italian and European authorities. And I want to be very clear: we have an obligation as part of the international community. We have fulfilled it in the past and we will do so today and in the future. But we will decide who comes to the European Union and under what circumstances, not the smugglers and traffickers”.
Tensions have spiked on the island, which is closer to Tunisia than the Italian mainland, with residents expressing impatience with the constant flow of migrants trying to reach Europe from North Africa arriving on their shores - not just this week but for decades.
Nearly 126,000 migrants have arrived in Italy this year, almost double the figure by the same date in 2022.
In the face of the new crisis, Ms Meloni has pledged tougher measures and is calling for a naval blockade of North Africa to prevent migrants on smugglers’ boats from departing.
Ms Meloni, who has softened her once-combative stance against the E-U since coming to power last year, has suggested that any response needs to be coordinated with north African countries.
“Regarding the naval mission, I still say what I have always said, the only serious way to deal with this is to help the North African authorities manage the flow of those who leave. These are initiatives that have to be done in agreement with the North African authorities. European naval missions that have been done in the past, have had the limitation of sometimes encouraging greater migration rather than reducing migration flows."
Ms von der Leyen has pledged to crack down on migrant smuggling and provide help for Italy to cope with the spike in arrivals as part of a 10-point plan.
The plan also includes making funds available to Tunisia as part of a deal with the E-U to block departures in exchange for aid, helping Italy accelerate asylum requests and setting up humanitarian corridors in countries of origin to discourage illegal routes.
One of the residents of Lampedusa and local hotel owner Giandamino Lombardo has called for swift local management of the migration issue.
"Today, it's a besieged island. I have been there (in this situation) in the past most likely, considering the processes of the last 30 years, we will be there in the future as well. This is why we would like this small community to be made safe, through ships that protect the island, through swift local management."
Ms von der Leyen has also called on E-U nations to accept voluntary transfers - a frequent source of discord - as the E-U dispatches experts to help manage and register the high number of migrants arriving in Italy.
Pope Francis has also said that he plans to address the migration issue during his upcoming trip to the French city of Marseille.
He says the entire Mediterranean community will need to work together in order to find solutions.
"I will go to Marseille to participate in the conclusion of the Mediterranean Encounters, a beautiful initiative that has travelled to important cities of the Mediterranean, bringing together ecclesiastical leaders with civil leaders to promote a path of peace, collaboration and integration around the Mare Nostrum, with a special attention on migration. It is a difficult challenge, as we can see from the news of these past few days, but it has to be faced together, because it is essential for the future of us all, that we will prosper only if built on fraternity, putting human dignity first, people and above all the needy. "
Meanwhile, French Opposition Leader Marine Le Pen criticised Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni over her handling of migrants during comments at the annual gathering of one of Meloni’s coalition parties, League.
Speaking to thousands of supporters of the populist League Party, Ms Le Pen has said that she predicts trouble.
"(There is) trouble, trouble for those leaders who don’t realise there are signs of alarm and danger from the massive arrival of migrants on Lampedusa. An island of 6,000 people, where more than 6,000 migrants arrived in a single day. Trouble for the population in which the leaders don’t take action immediately to face this giant challenge."
Her speech was used as an attempt to boost the League Party Leader Matteo Salvini.
Mr Salvini cracked down on migration when he was running Italy’s Interior Ministry from 2018-2019.
Ms Le Pen has characterised Mr Salvini as an ideal example of a European who's still willing to protect the continent's civilisation.
“To those who pretend to defend the status quo or to justify their lives that there is no other alternative, you (pointing to the crowd) have demonstrated that political will can do it. You have demonstrated the political will that Europe needs. By the force of your convictions and your action. You have demonstrated that there are still Europeans willing to protect our continent, our cultures, and our civilisation.”
Some 471 people were rescued from boats in distress in the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday ((September 16)) amid the recent surge in migrant arrivals to Italy.
Among those rescued were 205 children as aid group Doctors Without Borders told social media it had assisted the Italian Coast Guard in attending to 15 vessels at sea.
