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“I think the new rules are better than the previous ones,” the ultra-right government leader said at the press conference for the annual figures in Rome on Thursday.
‘But it’s not a solution. We will never solve the problem if we think about how we deal with migrants when they arrive in Europe.”
Meloni once again made it clear that in her view, people should be prevented from coming to Europe earlier. The head of government sees an opportunity for this in agreements with countries of origin to ensure that people do not even make the journey to Europe.
As the country that chairs this year’s Group of Seven Major Industrialized Countries (G7), Italy wants to put migration and Africa at the center.
Before the turn of the year, after a long struggle, EU countries and the European Parliament reached agreement on a reform of the Common European Asylum System. The agreement provides, among other things, for a so-called solidarity mechanism.
The distribution of those seeking protection must be reorganized among EU states: if countries do not want to accept refugees, they must provide support, for example in the form of monetary payments. The agreement also provides for uniform border procedures at the external borders and the housing of migrants in reception camps under prison-like conditions.
Regarding irregular migration to Europe and the arrival of large numbers of migrants to Italian shores, Meloni stressed that Italy cannot tackle this problem alone.
With the EU, “the right not to have to migrate must be defended over the right to be able to migrate,” said Meloni. Her press conference had to be postponed several times due to illness and was actually scheduled to take place before New Year’s Eve.
Tens of thousands of migrants arrived in Italy by sea last year. According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior in Rome, there were a total of about 157,650 people in 2023. That is 50,000 more than the year before (2022: 105,131). Countless people repeatedly try to get from Tunisia and Libya across the central Mediterranean to Lampedusa, Sicily or the Italian mainland by boat.
(SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
