At least 1000 refugees in just the last two days have been rescued in the Mediterranean, according to Italian officials.
Ten people died at sea after their boat capsized.
Seven missions had to be launched just on Tuesday which saved 941 people due to the work of the Italian coastguard and navy and three cargo ships. The next day, the coastguard and two cargo ships rescued a further 94 on board a dinghy in distress.
Italy’s interior ministry said 7,882 migrants arrived in the first two months of this year, compared to 5,506 over the same time in 2014.
Last year, 170,000 migrants and asylum seekers were rescued at sea and there is every indication the number will be much higher this year.
Italy has been appealing for years for help from the EU. This year, the EU contributed to a patrol mission which patrols only EU national waters, whereas the previous Italian air and sea mission had carried out rescues off Libya’s coast.
Italian lawmakers have demanded the EU do more. Khalid Chaouki, from premier Matteo Renzi’s Democratic party, lamented “this unexplainable European indifference”.
Only on 4 March this year did the Commission launch work on a “comprehensive European Agenda on Migration” and has at least held a debate on actions to “manage migration flows from the third world.”
It may be the “first time (that) managing migration better is an explicit priority of the European Commission”, according to its press release, but the response is not likely to be swift.
