” “"The request made by Minister Amato is a sign of care for Europe as well as a state of serious need in which the Country is in the area of migration". With these words, the deputy president of the EU Commission, Franco Frattini, commented in Rome today afternoon the appeal made yesterday by the Ministry of the Interior, who asked the European Commission to take measures in the area of immigration, given the resumption of landings of illegal immigrants on the coasts of Lampedusa. Frattini announced that a mission of European experts will soon come to Italy to "develop a factual set of measures to be urgently taken". These measures include "Italy, Malta and Greece patrolling the waters around Lampedusa". Previous experiences of this kind, according to the deputy president of the EU Commission, have delivered good results. In addition, Frattini asked the Italian Government to "firmly and powerfully speed up the repatriation of illegal immigrants to their birthplaces" and "to do all it can to relentlessly fight illegal work, a factor of attraction for illegal immigration which is Europe’s greatest worry". "A 2004 survey he concluded shows that illegal work in Italy is 16-17%, of which illegal immigration accounts for a substantial proportion".” “
