VIENNA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen called on the European Union to act quickly to quell a potential crisis in Italy on the back of a growing refugee influx from Northern Africa.
In an interview with the Vorarlberger Nachrichten in its Thursday edition, Van der Bellen said while the situation with Austria's southern neighbour is "not yet acutely alarming," the EU will not be able to continue simply looking on, and must take steps this year.
He expressed confidence that Italy and other countries on the EU outer borders would not be left to fend for themselves.
Austria itself has already made significant contributions to tackling the crisis, the president argued.
With Italy under increasing pressure however, it too must continue to pay attention to the situation in Libya as well as to hold talks with the governments of African nations, he added.
