Italy to ask EU to rotate ports for migrant arrivalsRome - Rome will on Thursday ask the European Union to rotate the ports where migrants rescued at sea disembark, with France and Spain top of the list, a defence ministry source said. "The proposal aims for a rotation of landing ports ... our goal is to ensure that Italy is not the only one taking charge of the problem, but also other member states," the source told AFP. The proposal calls for a revision of the EU's military operation codenamed Sophia -- currently commanded by Italy -- and under which all migrants rescued disembark at an Italian port. According to La Stampa newspaper, Italy's idea is to rotate landings between Mediterranean ports, with a particular emphasis on France and Spain, with Greece and Malta also sharing the load. Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio last week threatened to stop billions of euros of EU funding over migration, accusing Europe of turning its back as Italy grapples with seemingly endless migrant arrivals.

Source: Philippine Star August 29, 2018 18:22 UTC