Roundup: Italy sees EU's agenda on migration as important sign of European solidarity

The newly proposed European Agenda on Migration hit the headlines in Italy on Thursday, as the country is among those most affected by the current migration surge from North Africa.

The blueprint was issued by the European Commission on Wednesday, and proposed to share responsibility for asylum seekers across all member states, plus improving the mechanisms for allowing legal entry for people fleeing war.

Overall, most officials and media analysts in Italy welcomed the plan.

"It marks an important date in the EU's assumption of responsibility with respects to immigration problem, and it is a sign of real solidarity towards Italy," Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said.

Italy had repeatedly called for more EU help in dealing both with the increasing number of migrants fleeing North Africa and the recurrent deadly shipwrecks of migrant boats.

On this regard, the EU proposed to strengthen the Triton rescue mission in the Mediterranean and widen its area of operations beyond the current 30-mile limit in order to save more lives.

So far this year, at least 1,826 migrants have died at sea while trying to reach Europe.

Another key recommendation in the agenda was to introduce a mandatory quota system for distributing asylum seekers more fairly among EU members.

Italy backed the quota system, since such distribution system would ease the country's current burden.

In fact, about 170,100 migrants reached the Italian coasts last year and 84,000 immigrants are now hosted in reception centers, while 33,800 new arrivals from the sea were registered between January and April 2015.

The country also accepted 20,630 asylum applications in 2014.

"We welcome the proposal for a fair distribution of migrants on a mandatory basis: this is crucial for us, and would in fact lead to the overcoming of the Dublin regulation, no longer sustainable," minister Alfano said.

Indeed, the EU new agenda put among its key proposals an "evaluation and possible revision in 2016 of the Dublin Regulation," which defines which EU member state should handle first the claims of asylum seekers.

In case of migrants entering illegally into the EU from the sea, which often means burden for the first EU country in which they arrive. This is one reason why countries like Italy, Greece, and Malta are under strain.

The EU also proposed a resettlement scheme for people displaced abroad: 20,000 refugee places per year will be made available across all EU member states up to 2020.

Considering all proposals, the new agenda was "an ambitious package of possible solutions," EU correspondent Marco Zatterin with La Stampa newspaper wrote.

The analyst noted the EU needed a long time to define a common plan on immigration, given that the first migrant tragedy occurred off the coasts of Italy's Lampedusa Island in October 2013.

Yet, the EU's new approach was considered overall positive, but for the criticism raised by some EU countries.

"Lives will be saved, and a full dignity of values and solidarity will be shown, (but) up to a certain point," Zatterin said. "Denmark, the UK, and Ireland have opted out of the proposed quota system. London asks for the migrants to be turned back. In the light of the new European spirit, this is really a bad thing to see."

Italy's main business daily Il Sole 24 ore welcomed the EU new agenda as well, although it voiced some remarks.

"The redistribution of refugees at European level is a first step, and a sign of solidarity," Adriana Cerretelli wrote.

This policy must however be balanced with a strict repatriation policy for common illegal migrants in order be accepted by the public opinion within the EU, she added.

"Those who have no right to asylum must be repatriated, as required by the EU legislation, which rather too often has not been applied, giving rise to abuse," Cerretelli said.

Italian media also focused on local representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), whose reactions sounded fully positive.

"The EU's proposals represent a clear turning point in the approach to what we believe is an historic crisis," UNCHR Southern Europe spokeswoman Carlotta Sami told national Radio Capital station.

"Overall, the plan seems well-structured and does not suggests simplistic solutions," Sami said. "It acknowledges this migration phenomenon is an epochal issue involving people escaping both wars and poverty... and it says the Triton maritime mission has also the goal of saving the migrants' lives. Plus, the agenda states this crisis cannot be faced by one country only, and this is crucial." Endit