Italian ministers have called fro a six-month state of emergency due to the increase in migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa. The state of emergency allows for €5m in funding. The state of emergency was called after 3,000 migrants arrive in the past three days.
A large number of boats have landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa and 2,000 people have been rescued by the coast guard since Friday. The UN has recorded 441 deaths in the Central Mediterranean since the start of 2023, which is the highest number of migrant deaths since 2017. Tunisia has become the largest point of departure for migrant boats in the past few months. It is unclear how the state of emergency will allow the Italian government to address the rising numbers in the Mediterranean, however, it will allow for sped up reception procedures and repatriation of migrants not able to remain in Italy.
Read More: Italian state of emergency to tackle migrant boats
