Italy will no longer be "Europe's refugee camp", newly installed interior minister Matteo Salvini said on Monday as he promised tough action to reduce migrant arrivals and send back those who have already come. "The party is over," for migrants in Italy, he said, before visiting a so-called "hotspot" or reception centre, in the port of Pozzallo, where boat-borne arrivals are registered, photo-identified and fingerprinted. The League says the vast majority of migrants in Italy have no right to refugee status, Italy cannot afford to help them and by accepting low pay they worsen the working conditions of Italians. Salvini kept up the pressure on Monday, saying in a radio interview that Italy "can't be transformed into a refugee camp," and vowing to lobby Italy's partners to obtain more EU assistance to handle the problem. Italian markets, which sold off heavily early last week on fears of a repeat election, continued to recover on Monday.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 04, 2018 10:41 UTC