MEPs Simon Busuttil and Salvatore Iacolino of Italy have called on the European Commission to activate the solidarity mechanism envisaged in EU law in cases of mass influx of displaced people.

They said that over recent weeks, Lampedusa was swamped by the arrival of 20,000 migrants mostly from Tunisia, whereas more than 800 sub-Saharan Africans who departed from the Libyan shores landed in Malta in just 24 hours between yesterday and today.

"EU law already provides for a solidarity mechanism that can be triggered in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons.

"We call upon the Commission to activate it," they said.

EU law provides that in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons, temporary protection must be given in all EU countries.

It then promotes "a balance of effort between member states in receiving and bearing the consequences of receiving such persons".

The decision is taken by the Council of Ministers deciding by qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission.

It has the effect of introducing temporary protection of the displaced persons in all EU countries and to include information about the reception capacity of individual states. The decision is binding on all members.

The two MEPs also tabled an oral question to the Commission on behalf of the EPP on the exceptional situation in southern member states, particularly Italy and Malta, for debate in next week's plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.