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EU allocates emergency funding to help Italy ease migratory pressure

Xinhua, December 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

The European Union (EU) has provided 38.2 million euros (39.8 million U.S. dollars) in emergency funding to Italy to ease migratory pressure, an EU statement said on Friday.

Italian Ministry of Defense and Italian Coast Guard will get the lion's share of the funding (22.2 million euros) to enhance border surveillance and to rescue lives at sea.

Italian Ministry of Interior will be awarded 13.5 million euros for projects aimed, in particular, at reinforcing external border checks and border surveillance as well as strengthening health services and linguistic and intercultural mediation.

Another 2.5 million euros will be provided to Italian interior ministry to support actions aimed, in particular, at catering to the special needs of unaccompanied minors.

The money comes from the European Commission's Internal Security Fund (ISF) and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

Italy has been under high migratory pressure since the summer of 2015 as tens of thousands of illegal migrants from North Africa sought to reach Italian shores through the Mediterranean.

According to International Organization of Migration (IMO), a total of 358,403 migrants and refugees have reached European shores so far this year, down from over one million last year.

Most of those who have reached Europe in 2016 did so in Italy (179,525 arrivals) and Greece (173,244). Endit