Europe struggles with flood of African immigrants

The leaders of Italy, France and Spain sent a letter to the EU yesterday, urging the bloc to approve measures to help them cope with the flood of illegal migrants from Africa.

EU justice and interior ministers differed over how to tackle the problem during two-day talks last week in Tampere, Finland, meant to boost efforts to achieve a common immigration and asylum policy by 2010.

Premier Romano Prodi, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and French President Jacques Chirac proposed organising a conference in Libya between the EU and the African Union and asked for additional financing, Prodi’s office said in a statement.

The letter was sent to Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

“The basis for this joint initiative ... is an awareness that the phenomenon requires measures that go well beyond those that are available to single member states, and requires a collective effort on the part of the EU,” the statement said.

France, Italy and Spain also asked that “special attention” be paid to plans for joint maritime patrols in the Mediterranean and urged financial and technical aid for the migrants’ countries of origin.

The three asked that the proposals be discussed at an informal summit of European leaders scheduled October 20 in the Finnish town of Lahti.

Prodi’s office said the letter, which followed “intense contacts” between Rome, Paris and Madrid, also was signed by Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia.

During last week’s meeting, calls for more money and resources for the EU’s new external borders agency, Frontex, were backed by many, but no specific pledges were made. The ministers agreed that Frontex should co-ordinate more long-term patrols in the Mediterranean Sea and off Africa’s Atlantic coast.

Frontex director Ilkka Laitinen accused member states of unfairly criticising his agency and stressed he needs their help, including more money and workers to handle the workload.

More than 23,000 migrants have made dangerous ocean crossings from north-west Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands so far this year, leading to the drowning of many and a near-collapse of the system of holding facilities on the islands.

Only a few EU states have helped Spain: Finland and Italy have each sent one plane while Portugal and Italy have sent boats.

Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said last week that Italy received 23,000 asylum seekers last year on the southern island of Lampedusa alone, up from 13,000 in 2004. Most leave from the Libyan coast on rickety boats, and many die during the crossing.