Italy and Denmark have called on the European Union to prepare for a potential rise in migration as tensions escalate in the Middle East, warning against a repeat of the 2015–2016 refugee crisis.
"We cannot risk a repeat of the refugee and migratory flows to the EU which we saw unfold in 2015-2016," write Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a letter.
The letter, dated Wednesday – the day before a summit of EU leaders in Brussels – is addressed to the heads of the European Commission and European Council, and the leaders of EU countries.
In it, Frederiksen and Meloni call on the European Commission to examine mechanisms that could act as an "emergency brake" in the event of large-scale migration movements.
Speaking on Danish television, Frederiksen cited a rule allowing asylum seekers to be turned away at the border as an example of a possible measure.
