Italy and France act on migrants

ITALY AND France yesterday patched up their differences over the Tunisian migration crisis, agreeing to stage joint air and sea…

ITALY AND France yesterday patched up their differences over the Tunisian migration crisis, agreeing to stage joint air and sea patrols to block would-be clandestine immigrants from leaving Tunisia.

An hour-long meeting in Milan yesterday morning between French and Italian interior ministers Claude Guéant and Roberto Maroni seems to have defused Italo-French tensions over how to cope with the estimated 21,000 Tunisians who have flooded into Italy, via Lampedusa, since the beginning of the year. The vast majority see France as their long-term destination as they hope to join family members already part of France’s 700,000-strong Tunisian community.

In recent weeks, Italian authorities have turned a benevolent “blind eye” to the large numbers who have escaped from migrant holding camps and made their way to Ventimiglia on the Italo-French border. Furthermore, the Italian government appeared to up the tension this week with a decree granting residency permits.

It was suggested that these temporary permits would allow the migrants freedom of movement within the EU. However, that was questioned yesterday by European home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmström’s spokesman.