Under Giorgia Meloni’s ultra-right Fratelli d’Italia (FDI) party, the number of migrants arriving in Italy has doubled.
Rome – A year after her election victory, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she has achieved less than hoped in migration policy. “We had hoped for more in immigration policy,” Meloni said on Saturday evening (September 23rd) on the television station Rai 1.
“We worked hard, but the results are not what we hoped for.” The problem is “very complex,” said Meloni. “But I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Italy: Almost twice as many migrants as in all of 2022
Meloni’s ultra-right Fratelli d’Italia (FDI) party won the parliamentary election on September 25, 2022 primarily on the promise of putting an end to immigration. According to figures from the Italian Interior Ministry, more than 130,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year – that is almost twice as many as in the whole of 2022.
Since taking office in October, Meloni’s government has primarily restricted the work of sea rescue workers in the Mediterranean and announced tougher action against smugglers. A few days ago she also introduced a significant extension of the maximum length of detention pending deportation. In addition, new centers for migrants who are required to leave the country are to be created.
Meloni asks EU for help
After around 8,500 boat refugees arrived on the small Mediterranean island of Lampedusa in just three days in mid-September, Meloni asked the EU for help. During a visit to Lampedusa, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on European countries to accept some of the migrants arriving in Italy. She also presented an emergency plan, but it didn’t contain much new.
In July, von der Leyen, with the support of Meloni, concluded an agreement with Tunisia that is intended to curb irregular migration from the North African country to the EU. On Friday, Brussels announced the disbursement of the first funds to Tunisia. (so with AFP)
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