Pastor Luca Mario Negro of the Federation of Evangelical Churches of Italy (FCEI) said Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte "has expressed interest in a proposal for a European humanitarian corridor from Libya."

The announcement was made by the Comunita di Sant'Egidio, an Italian Catholic association. Supporters said it would provide a new, legal and safe access route for 50,000 refugees who would be taken in by volunteering European countries using a quota system. In a statement, the Comunita di Sant'Egidio said Conte "reiterated the need for greater shared efforts by European countries for refugees and migrants" due to the "serious and persistent instability" in Libya. "In this sense he cited Italian humanitarian corridors as an example of a 'good practice.'"

Conte to discuss propose with EU partners

The Comunità di Sant'Egidio said that Conte pledged to speak about the matter with EU partners, in the "shared understanding that there is the need to deal in a coordinated manner with the current emergency through appropriate operating and financial instruments."

Italy would take in a certain number of refugees and would ask all EU countries to do the same. "We would like to thank the prime minister for the timely response to our project and we trust that soon an inter-ministerial committee will begin working on it," said Pastor Negro.

"The prime minister speaking himself about this shows the interest with which the government received our proposal which, also, confirms the support repeatedly expressed by Deputy Minister Emanuela Del Re for the 'humanitarian corridor' programs started in 2016."

As Protestants, the FCEI chief said, "we are already asking our sister churches in Europe to pressure their governments to support the Italian proposal."

'Humanitarian corridors united Italy,' says Sant'Egidio

"The humanitarian corridors," Sant'Egidio chief Impagliazzo said, "united Italy in a civil society project able to save (refugees, Ed.) from traffickers of death and to integrate (them, Ed.) into the European civil and social fabric. The interest expressed by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in the proposal to set up a European humanitarian corridor from Libya is an important recognition of a model that has already been proven to work."

"If it comes into being, as we hope, it will serve to protect that who currently, in a country suffering from endless civil war, are risking their lives and is subjected daily to torture and oppression of every type. For Europe, it would be an act of civility in defense of human rights at the level of the role that we believe we must take in the world."