Statement by Palazzo Chigi expressing satisfaction with President von der Leyen’s words on migration

Palazzo Chigi expresses deep satisfaction with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s words addressed to Italy and the work of the government on the issue of migration, in response to a letter that the President of the Council of Ministers had sent to the top EU institutions following the tragedy in Cutro.
The European Commission President’s words show full awareness that there is the need for an immediate and concrete European response to the issue of migration. President von der Leyen indeed refers to further actions to be coordinated and undertaken at EU level in order to prevent irregular departures, save lives at sea, fight criminal smuggling networks and stop tragedies such as the one in Cutro from happening again in the future.
In particular, the Commission’s willingness to intensify cooperation with key partners in North Africa, to set up an enhanced cooperation framework, to work on coordination of search and rescue, and to provide additional financial support for the management of maritime borders, as well as the willingness to keep the migration issue at the centre of the agenda at the next European Council meeting in March, ahead of a future agreement on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, correspond perfectly to the requests the Italian Government has made to the European institutions over the last months. 
The Italian Government also expresses satisfaction that the European Commission is aware of the efforts Italy has made in recent years to manage migration flows and carry out sea rescue operations along the main migratory routes in the Central Mediterranean.