Italy spent at least €200,000 in EU funds to escort the Aquarius rescue boat to Valencia in Spain after refusing it permission to disembark more than 600 migrants at its own ports in June.
An analysis of data obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed the size of the bill racked up by the Italian coastguard, which was called in to provide assistance in the politically-charged operation.
It also indicated that around 90 percent of the budget for the journey was pro...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.