With the continuous flow of refugees desperate to cross from Africa to Europe, the Commission said it was seeking recipient states for the migrants on board a second charity ship, the Norwegian-flagged Ocean Viking, whose disembarkation Salvini had also sought to prevent. The ship is carrying 356 migrants.
Refinitiv data pinpointed that vessel west of the Maltese island of Gozo.
Salvini, who has clashed with Italy’s court system over his attempts to veto landings, says the country has borne too much responsibility for handling migration to Europe.
This month the coalition his League party formed with the 5-Star movement collapsed.
Signs of the impact of the migration crisis were also evident in Madrid, where the government said the Open Arms was not authorised to carry out rescues, only to provide humanitarian aid. The charity had previously been threatened with a fine if it continued to perform rescues.
Asked if the government would sanction Open Arms, Spain’s acting deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo declined to answer directly, telling Cadena Ser radio that no one was above the law, “including a ship like this.”
European Commission spokeswoman Tove Ernst said the five countries receiving the Open Arms migrants would register them and make necessary checks and transport arrangements, meaning the relocation from Lampedusa would take some time.
“The Commission will …do its utmost to support and help to ensure that procedures are as swift as possible,” she said. — Reuters
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