Italy. The Meloni government authorizes the landing of more than 100 additional illegal immigrants

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At the beginning of 2023, Italy issued a new decree aimed at hindering the action of the ships of pro-migrant NGOs. However, the government of Giorgia Meloni continues to authorize these ships to disembark illegal immigrants on Italian soil. Clever strategy or admission of helplessness?

Landing of migrants: what does the new Italian decree say?

During the month of December last, notification of authorization granted by Giorgia Meloni to three NGO ships to disembark migrants in Italian ports had raised many questions, particularly among the French, who saw in her arrival as Prime Minister the possibility of a major turning point concerning European migration policy.

Meanwhile, Italy promulgated a decree on humanitarian operations at sea on Monday, January 2. This new text now obliges ships to reach a port as soon as the first rescue is carried out. Thus, there is no longer any question of stationing in a maritime area while waiting to “fish out” other groups of migrants who have left the African coast on board small boats.

This new legislation was quickly criticized by several pro-migrant NGOs. Like Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and about twenty other organizations, which denounced on January 5 in a joint press release the Italian government’s objective of “keeping ships (…) out of the rescue zone for extended periods”. As for offenders, captains violating these rules are liable to fines of up to 50,000 euros and repeated offenses can be punished by immobilization of the vessel.

“There are no facts, only interpretations”

After the promulgation of this new decree, how should we perceive the new Italian policy supposed to fight against illegal immigration? Skillful maneuver on the part of the Meloni executive in order to circumvent European legislation as closely as possible without putting itself out of the game vis-à-vis Brussels? Or a real admission of powerlessness by an Italy reduced to trying to interfere somehow with the well-established merry-go-round of NGO ships? Everyone will see what they want to see…

In the meantime, and in compliance with the decree of January 2, the Italy of Giorgia Meloni assigned, on January 8, a safe port to theocean viking, chartered by the NGO SOS Méditerranée. In this case, the port of Ancona, where 37 migrants “rescued” by the ship on January 7 are to disembark. A port however considered too far north by SOS Méditerranée, because of the three days of navigation necessary to reach it…

The strategy of the Meloni government interrogates

In parallel, the Geo Barentsa ship chartered by Doctors Without Borders, has also been authorized to disembark 73 illegal immigrants in the port of Ancona these days.

A destination also deemed a little too far by MSF, while the Italian Ministry of the Interior rejected the request of the two NGOs to be assigned closer ports. However, Italy has never been so quick to designate “safe ports” for NGOs and thus authorize the disembarkation of illegal migrants.

Will this new strategy adopted by the Meloni government end up discouraging these organizations from continuing their rotations in the Mediterranean Sea? Nothing is less obvious, and the Salvini jurisprudence is there to testify to it…

Photo credit: screenshot of Giorgia Meloni’s Twitter account (illustration photo)
[cc] Breizh-info.com2022, dispatches free of copy and distribution subject to mention and link to the original source



Italy. The Meloni government authorizes the landing of more than 100 additional illegal immigrants

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