Italian Prime Minister: Migrant Landings Six Times Higher Than 2019

African migrants who were rescued by the Tunisian army as they attempted to cross the Medi
FATHI NASRI/AFP via Getty Images
Chris Tomlinson

Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi revealed that his country has seen a six-fold increase in migrant landings since 2019, and called for help from the European Union in dealing with the ongoing crisis.

Prime Minister Draghi spoke of the worsening migrant crisis in the Central Mediterranean during a speech in the Italian parliament this week, stating: “This year there has been a number of landings six times higher than in 2019.”

“Italy cannot do everything alone,” Draghi added, complaining that he wished to see greater involvement from other European countries regarding the migrant crisis.

“Italy continues to promote a European advance towards collective management, in a balance between responsibility and solidarity,” Il Giornale reported him as saying.

While Draghi stated that he wishes to see illegal landings reduced, he also said that Europe should do more to increase the legal flow of immigrants, claiming that migrants from vulnerable countries “are a resource and not a threat to our society.”

Earlier this year in August reports claimed that the number of illegal migrant arrivals had increased by 673 per cent since current Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese took over from populist League (Lega) leader Matteo Salvini in the role in 2019.

Last week, Salvini spoke out about Italy’s demographic problems and stated that he was firmly against mass migration as an answer to Italy’s ageing population.

“My objective is to give economic serenity to Italians to encourage them to have children,” Salvini said. “I refuse to think of substituting ten million Italians with ten million migrants.”

The European Union border agency Frontex released a report last week that suggested illegal migration as a whole was up 70 per cent in the European Union in the first ten months of 2021.

Frontex noted that the Central Mediterranean route to Italy saw the most arrivals, with at least 55,000 illegals reportedly arriving from January to October.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com

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