Germany has added its support to a new EU initiative to help Italy cope with an influx of migrants risking their lives by crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.<br /><br />The German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said people who enter Italy without legal permission must be registered and have their fingerprints taken there.<br /><br />That would be a huge undertaking for Italy where, during the summer season, thousands of migrants arrive every day. <br /><br />Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart, Italy’s interior minister Angelino Alfano said: “The initiative implemented with France and the other countries that want to be part of this operation is directed towards fighting human trafficking. <br />This joint initiative will prevent the risk that countries will turn against each other when faced with a severe crisis.”<br /><br />Thousands of people have fled conflicts in Syria, Iraq and across the Middle East and Africa. Many board unsafe smugglers’ boats in Libya bound for Europe.<br /><br />The UN refugee agency said 1,889 people have died while making the dangerous journey.<br /><br />Authorities say more than 60,000 migrants have already landed in southern Italy this year, and that the record of 63,000 set in 2011 is likely to be broken.
