A European Union fact-finding team arrived on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday to monitor the rate at which illegal immigrants are landing on its shores.

The mission to Lampedusa came a week after Interior Minister Giuliano Amato appealed to the European Union to take action to help stem the flow of illegal immigration into Europe via this southern route.

The tiny island, which lies between Tunisia and Sicily, has emerged in recent years as a preferred entry point to the European Union for immigrant smugglers transporting their human cargo from north African ports.

Amato's appeal to Brussels followed two weeks in which, encouraged by fine weather and calm seas, over 2,000 illegal immigrants landed on Lampedusa's beaches.

Two days after his plea, the Italian navy saved 14 emaciated immigrants who had been adrift in the sea south of the island for almost three weeks. Some 13 others, including children, had reportedly died during the voyage and been thrown overboard.

The three EU officials sent to assess the situation are expected to hold meetings with Interior Ministry staff later in the week.

The team is reportedly intending to propose the organisation of joint patrols of Lampedusa's coasts, with crews supplied by Italy, Greece and Malta.

In a letter to European Security and Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini last week, Amato underlined that the number of migrants landing in Italy, particularly on the southernmost island of Lampedusa, had reached "alarming levels".

He asked Frattini to implement EU "solidarity" measures, as has been the case for other member states struggling with immigration, such as Spain and Malta.

Frattini, once a minister in Italy's former centre-right government, has made immigration a key role in his plans since being appointed to the Commission nearly two years ago.

He has highlighted that immigration is a problem for the entire European community, not just the bloc's southernmost states.

He has also promoted strategies for involving African countries in the fight against illegal migration and tackling the root causes of migratory flows, such as poverty.

Source: Xinhua