Paris, Sep 19: Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte and French President Emmanuel Macron have on Wednesday called on the European Union (EU) to introduce a fresh automatic scheme to administer migrants across the bloc, as both nations sought to build-up scathing ties under Rome’s earlier anti-migrant populist authority.
Italy long complained other EU member states have not taken up migrants into their regions and shared the burden as millions of individuals arrived on the nation’s shores in the recent years post venturing dangerous vessel journey across the Mediterranean.
“The European Union hasn’t shown enough solidarity with countries handling first arrivals, notably Italy,” Macron said after concluding discussions with Conte in Rome.
“France is ready to develop this in the framework of overhauling the Dublin accords,” said Macron, in reference to the bloc regulation which assigns immigration responsibility to the country of 1st entry into the bloc.
“I am convinced that we can agree on an automatic redistribution mechanism” under the auspices of the European Commission, the French President added.
Conte said he received backings from France for a mechanism to redistribute migrants, in agreement with which the whole 28-nation EU bloc would take a share of fresh migrants’ arrival automatically in Italy as soon.
“Migration is a complex phenomenon. It’s vital for Europe to turn the page towards the structural, and no longer emergency, management of migrants,” Conte said.
“Migration must no longer be a theme of anti-European propaganda,” he added, in reference to the harsh policies of the League.