Migrants gather in the harbour of Italian island of Lampedusa, before being transferred to Porto Empedocle in Sicily region, south Italy, by the Italian military ship Cassiopea, on September 15, 2023. (Photo by Alessandro SERRANO / AFP)
The European Union said Saturday that its top official Ursula von der Leyen will head for the Italian island of Lampedusa, after Rome called on Brussels for help after a surge in migrant arrivals.
The president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will visit the island on Sunday with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, officials from both sides said.
Earlier Saturday, the interior ministers from Italy, France, Germany and Spain discussed the crisis, on the phone, with the EU’s home affairs commissioner.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who conferred Friday with his Italian and German counterparts, will himself…
