Italian Prime minister Paolo Gentiloni asked the other EU members states for a “common compromise” to face the “emergency” situation that his country is dealing with because of the endless arrival of migrants coming from the southern shores of the Mediterranean. He was speaking on 29 June, during a preparatory meeting for the G20 in Hamburg (7–8 July).
Gentiloni’s request, which his parters did not comply with, shows the failure of the refugee policy based on relocation quota promoted by the EU Commission that is being boycotted by most of member states.
In the first six months of 2017 the number of migrants who made it to Europe has risen by 26 percent compared to the same period last year. Of the over 100,000 migrants who arrived in the EU through the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, almost 85,000 landed in Italy, according to UN figures.