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Italy, France seek to ease immigration tensions

26 April 2011 20:02 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed Tuesday to ask the European Union for a change in the Schengen Treaty in an effort to ease their countries’ tensions over illegal immigration, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The leaders announced after an annual bilateral meeting that they were ready to sign a joint letter to the European Commission demanding a "temporary reinstatement" of state borders in certain cases that are "precisely identified."

The Schengen agreement provides for a borderless zone area among 25 European countries and affects a total 400 million people.

"The migration situation in the Mediterranean could rapidly be transformed into a real crisis that could undermine the faith our citizens have entrusted in free movement," the joint letter said.

Berlusconi told reporters that neither Rome nor Paris wanted to abolish the Schengen agreement. "But in exceptional circumstances we believe there should be changes and we have decided to work together," he said.

"Every year France welcomes 50,000 migrants, Italy an average of 10,000. So France’s commitment is five times greater. We are aware of this and there is no desire on our part to accuse France," the premier said.

In the joint letter, Italy and France say they want the EU’s border agency, Frontex, to be strengthened and are seeking greater support from Brussels for those states exposed to the immigration emergency.

At a joint press coference, Berlusconi described the meeting as a "very positive summit" where there had been "strong agreement" while Sarkozy said "we want to see the Schengen Treaty survive, so in order to do that, it must be amended."