The Ocean Viking with 182 migrants on board in Messina. In Malta agreement for voluntary rotation of ports

• Migrants, agreement for voluntary rotation of ports. Lamorgese: "From today Italy is no longer alone"
• Malta, Lamorgese: great collaboration and willingness to proceed together
• Sbarchi, Malta summit: the problem of relocations. Lamorgese: "Good prospects"
• A port assigned to Ocean Viking, today a European summit in Malta

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Ocean Viking is in front of the port of Messina, with 182 migrants, including women and children, one of whom is only 8 days old, rescued in recent days in front of the Libyan coast. The Sos Mediterranée and Doctors Without Borders ship should soon dock on the quay of the Nuremberg Wharf where the reception machine coordinated by the Prefecture was set up.

Waiting for the migrants Police forces, men of the Red Cross, of the ASP of voluntary organizations and the Municipality.

Subsequently the refugees will be accompanied to the Bisconte hotspot, set up in the Gasparro barracks.

The decision to indicate Messina as a safe haven was taken by the Interior Ministry after the European Commission reached an agreement on the redistribution of migrants in five EU countries.

The Malta Agreement
Yesterday, the interior ministers of five EU countries together with the European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopulos agreed in Malta to tackle the disembarkation and transfer of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea.

The ministers of Malta, Italy, France, Germany and Finland, a country that has the rotating presidency of the EU Council, have stated that this agreement will be presented to the rest of the EU Member States at a meeting of interior ministers will be held in Luxembourg on 8 October.

During a press conference in Forte Sant'Angelo, it was confirmed that this agreement is temporary until a permanent procedure comes into force. The process requires the approval of most EU countries and therefore an operating system will be developed.

Ministers discussed measures on how to control the ships of non-governmental organizations; including license regulations for those able to help at sea. According to the agreement, not only Malta and Italy, but also other Member States that voluntarily choose to help in the migration crisis will be involved in the process of landing migrants.

As for the reception centers, once a Member State is under pressure, a new mechanism will come into effect so that other EU states take the rescued migrants. In the case of frontline countries that are under pressure due to migration flows, ministers agreed that these countries should not be left alone and a threshold mechanism should be implemented.

The draft agreement, explained Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, provides that "within four weeks" asylum-seeking migrants will be relocated to other countries that will take charge of the requirements verification and repatriation procedures.

"From today, Italy is no longer alone," added Lamorgese. "I am very satisfied", the minister said, "the most delicate political issues have been resolved", and "the first concrete step of the approach to common European action" has been made.

"It is our interest - the minister concludes - that the agreement will be shared by other countries as well".

Count: in Malta past the principle "whoever lands in Italy lands in Europe"
At the Malta summit on migrants, the principle that "whoever lands in Italy, lands in Europe" has passed, stressed the prime minister from New York, where he participates in the special summit on Climate at Glass Palace. Although not a definitive solution, he explained, "we note that there was a very significant breakthrough, which we had not been able to achieve in the past". For Conte, he has "started a path that foreshadows the right approach", what he says he promoted since his first European council in 2018 telling his counterparts: "If Italy is in Europe, you can't think that a First landing country is left alone ". According to Conte, the principle of "whoever lands in Italy, lands in Europe", "now it must be perfected, it opens to the contribution of other countries not represented in Malta". For Conte, "there are not only more responsible countries, others cannot hide anymore". To those who asked him if sanctions are envisaged, Conte said: "This mechanism will translate the EU rules, those who do not participate in this mechanism will be penalized".

Seehofer: we cannot leave Italy and Malta alone
"We cannot leave Italy and Malta alone". This was stated by German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer at the press conference held with colleagues from the two countries and by France and Finland and by the EU commissioner for internal affairs at the conclusion of the Valletta mini-summit on the migrant issue. Seehofer argued that "clear measures in the redistribution of migrants have been identified today. On October 8, we will discuss this". The German minister said he was convinced of a development of European cooperation in the coming years, "I am optimistic that we will succeed in building a common policy in the future. Today the probabilities have increased".