"We are working to implement the plan," (presented by the EC at the Extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council last November and containing 20 actions designed to address immediate and ongoing challenges along the region's busiest and most dangerous migratory route) the spokesperson said.
Work is also underway to get the new Pact on Migration and Asylum approved by 2024, she added.
On Tuesday the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni decreed a six-month nationwide state of emergency on migration, reportedly in order to ensure more effective and timely responses in terms of the management of migrants and their accommodation on national territory.
The European Commission responded on Wednesday saying it had "taken note" of the decision and that it was "in contact" with Rome.
"It is a decision of a national nature and stems from a highly difficult situation caused by the increase in the number of arrivals," an EC spokesperson said.
The EU already supports Italy "with a wide range of measures" including "expertise on the field" the spokesperson added, stressing that "Italy is one of the main beneficiaries of the fund for migration and integration".
ANSA
