Italy: Reforming the asylum system in Europe is not a sustainable solution

Rome (agencies)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that she does not consider reforming the European Union's asylum system to be a sustainable solution to reducing irregular migration to Europe.
The member states of the European Union and the European Parliament had agreed on a reform of the common European asylum system before the beginning of the year after a long battle.
It is planned to reorganize the distribution of migrants among European Union member states. If there are countries that do not wish to receive refugees, they must, for example, provide support in the form of cash payments. It was also agreed upon unified procedures at the borders and shelters for migrants.
Yesterday, Giorgia Meloni said at a press conference in Rome: “I think the new rules are better than the previous ones, but they do not represent a solution, because we will not solve the problem if we wait until the migrants arrive in Europe and then think about how to deal with them.”
Italy is located on the other side of the Mediterranean, opposite Libya, which is one of the main departure points for illegal immigrants trying to cross the sea to enter the European Union. Therefore, Italy receives a much larger number of asylum seekers than most other European Union countries.
Millioni once again stressed her belief that migrants should, in the first place, be prevented from coming to Europe. She said she wants to conclude agreements with countries of origin to ensure that those seeking immigration do not make the journey to Europe. Italy, as the country that chairs the Group of Seven major industrialized nations this year, wants to focus on migration and Africa.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had previously called, during a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, in the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, for European solidarity to help Rome manage the influx of migrants arriving across the Mediterranean Sea beyond the carrying capacity of the small Italian island.
Meloni said, in a joint press conference with von der Leyen, “The future that Europe wants for itself is at stake here because the future of Europe depends on its ability to face major challenges.”