Italy's special commissioner for the migration emergency, Valerio Valenti, met with prefects from Friuli Venezia Giulia this week. The northeastern Italian region has seen an 180% increase in the number of newly arrived migrants and refugees.
Valerio Valenti visited Trieste, the capital of Italy's northeastern Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region, this Wednesday (May 17). He met with prefects from the region to discuss the migration situation.
He said that while the increase in the number of newly arrived migrants was "significant when looking at the number of migrants arriving by sea", there had also been "a sharp increase" in entries via land. He explained that "the trend seen on the Balkan route is also similar in proportion to that of the route by sea."
Valentini also said during the visit that "what has emerged today is the similarity of Friuli Venezia Giulia to some extent to other regions suffering the impact of migration flows, such as Sicily and Calabria."
Many migrants and refugees who reach Italy via the land route through the Balkans first arrive in FVG, which borders Slovenia and is very close to Croatia.
6,000 migrants arrived in early 2023
Between January and early May, Trieste prefect Pietro Signoriello said that the region had counted at least 5,999 migrants arriving compared with 2,161 in the previous year, a "rise of 180%".
Of them, 3,491 were recorded as passing through Trieste alone compared to 802 in 2022, amounting to a +335% increase.
"These numbers are significant and require action," Signoriello argued, adding that there are still "about a hundred" migrants in Trieste that are not registered within the reception system.
"Especially in light of this situation, which is seen in the other provinces as well, there will be relocation," he added.
Plans to create a hotspot in Friuli Venezia Giulia
There are plans to create a hotspot in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region to manage migrants arriving via the Balkan route. "Assessments are underway," Valenti said, noting that "it is up to our colleagues on the ground. They are working. I am confident that suitable facilities will be found for this purpose. The commissioner and the minister will make the resources available to be able to do it."
Valenti said that new hotspots like the one planned in FVG "must be of a small-medium size with a capacity not exceeding 300."
Trieste prefect Signoriello said that region's prefects would be looking at the entire region to find an appropriate place for the hotspot. "It is clear that Trieste, being the main entrance point, is looking closely at the possibilities offered by the territory. However, the analysis is still underway," he said. "We are confident that the identification can happen soon."
Valenti said that his goal is also to "reduce the presence of migrants" in the territory of Friuli Venezia Giulia, aligning it with other regions. "At the moment, the region is certainly above its share. This will gradually -- though I trust in a rather short period -- be carried out," he stated.