The European Commission on Wednesday adopted proposals to end the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, the EU foreign policy chief announced, saying it was "a historic day for Italy". "#MigrationEU agenda adopted by the Commission," Federica Mogherini tweeted.
The proposals include mandatory national quotas and legal means for migrants to travel to Europe, safeguarding the EU's Mediterranean borders by tripling funds to its Triton mission and boosting its civilian mission in Niger, the main transit country for migrants western Africa. A total of 20,000 people in need of protection will be resettled in various European countries under the proposals, 9.9 percent of whom will be allocated to Italy, 15.4 percent to Germany, 11.8 percent to France, 11.5 percent to Britain, 7.7 percent to Spain, and 4.8 percent to Poland, according to EU sources.
Italy will be assigned 11.84 percent of asylum seekers already present in Europe, the sources said. Britain, Ireland and Denmark are not legally bound by the proposed quotas. "This is a historic day for Italy. A burden and responsibility that until now has been almost exclusively Italian becomes European," Mogherini stated. Troops may land in libya to destroy migrant traffickers' boats if the UN authorises this, under a strategic EU plan on immigration seen by the British daily Guardian.