When it comes to the deadly shipwreck off the southern Italian coast last week, Italian President President Sergio Mattarella has had enough of empty words.

"The condolences must turn into concrete actions on everyone's part, Italy and the European Union," he said March 6 at the University of Potenza in Basilicata, demanding action from the Italian government and the EU.

Mattarella said that when entire families make the painful decision to flee their home countries, there's a reason why.

Shelter for tens of thousands of regular migrants

In a move considered propaganda by opposition parties, Italy's government has chosen to hold Thursday's Council of Ministers meeting at the town hall in Cutro, the town in Calabria where the dramatic shipwreck took place February 26, killing 71.

The body of the latest victim, a three-year-old girl, was found Tuesday on the coastline.

Lawmakers will discuss more shelter for regular migrants and harsher action against human trafficking at the meeting, where the Council of Ministers is expected to introduce concrete measures.

Deputy Premier and Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani said regular migration "must be encouraged."

"We can bring tens of thousands of regular migrants to Italy and train them in our country, because our businesses need them," he said.

Pressure on Brussels continues, with lawmakers calling for EU financial support to help handle the influx of migrants on the Italian coast.

The European Commission has acknowledged that it is carefully considering a letter sent by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni outlining the need for the bloc to act in unison on migration.

Many Afghans dead

In his speech at the University of Potenza, Mattarella underscored how the tragedy in Cutro has "moved and involved" all Italians.

Also because, he added, many of the boat's passengers were Afghan refugees escaping one of the world's most brutal political regimes.

"The refugees reminded us of what our country did two years ago, when the Taliban took power, to bring all Afghan citizens who had collaborated out of the country," he said. "No one was left behind, they were also sheltered in Italy. The scenes of the Kabul airport come to our mind ... helping us to understand why entire families try to leave their country in search of a better future elsewhere."

Calling the Council of Ministers to meet in Cutro is an attempt to reflect the meaning of Mattarella's words.

"Freedom is not real unless it does not belong to everyone in the world, in a world that is increasingly more of a community. Freedom and rights cannot be divided," he said.