Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato on Thursday urged the European Union to help Italy cope with its influx of would-be immigrants.
In a letter to European Security and Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, Amato underlined that the number of migrants landing in Italy, particularly on the southernmost island of Lampedusa, had reached "alarming levels" of late.
He asked Frattini to implement EU "solidarity" measures, as has been the case for other member states struggling with immigration, such as Spain and Malta.
"In particular, I would like to suggest the possibility of an urgent mission by the [EU border agency] Frontex to the island of Lampedusa," he said.
Italy, on the EU's southern border, is used as a gateway into Europe by thousands of migrants from Africa.
The problem is particularly acute in summer, when the warmer weather encourages many more to attempt the dangerous sea crossing.
Frattini, once a minister in Italy's former centre-right government, has made immigration a key role in his plans since being appointed to the Commission nearly two years ago. Decrying "short-sighted" emergency policies, he has continually pushed for the EU to adopt a comprehensive andsystematic Europe-wide approach.
He has also highlighted that immigration is a problem for the entire European community, not just the bloc's southernmost states.
"It cannot be left to individual member states to cope alone, just because - as is the case with Italy, Spain or Malta - they are on the bloc's outermost borders," he said. The commissioner has been a strong backer of an EU mission to help Spain patrol its waters, and earlier this month revealed plans for a similar project off Malta's coast.
He has also promoted strategies for involving African countries in the fight against illegal migration and tackling the root causes of migratory flows, such as poverty.
Meanwhile, Italian coast guards intercepted a boat carrying over 100 migrants off the coast of Lampedusa on Thursday morning.
All were taken to a reception centre on the island. Equipped to handle 190 people, it is already struggling to cope with the 300-plus migrants who arrived on Wednesday. Since coming to power in April, the centre-left government has promised a series of new immigration policies, overturning some of the tough strictures imposed by the last administration.
A work group has been tasked with assessing conditions within Italy's overcrowded migrant holding centres, and there are plans to expand the categories of migrants allowed into the country legally.
