BERLIN (AP) — Germany says it will take 50 of the 450 migrants rescued from a fishing boat in the Mediterranean Sea that’s been at the center of a squabble between Italy and Malta.
In a statement Sunday, the German government said “with a view to the ongoing talks about greater bilateral cooperation on asylum, Germany is prepared to take in 50 people in this case.”
France and Malta have also agreed to take in about 100 migrants from the ship.
Italy put out a call for help to other European Union countries, saying it wants them to share the burden of taking in migrants coming across the Mediterranean.
According to EU figures, Germany saw almost 1 million asylum applications in 2016 and 2017; Italy came second with about 250,000.