Italy's hardline stance on immigration has failed
By Allan Kaval, Le Monde, Paris, April 28, 2023
ROME - Giorgia Meloni's migration bill was supposed to be a way to defend Italy's interests in Europe, but the government's ambitious plans have come up against reality.
You can share an article by clicking on the share icons at the top right of it.
The total or partial reproduction of an article, without the prior written authorization of Le Monde, is strictly forbidden.
For more information, see our Terms and Conditions.
For all authorization requests, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/04/28/italy-s-hardline-stance-on-immigration-has-failed_6024719_23.html
When she took office in the fall of 2022, the Italian President of the Council Giorgia Meloni promised to resolve, once and for all, the issue of migration, which had been a core topic of hers when she was on the opposition benches. Having come to power at the head of a coalition formed with Matteo Salvini's right-wing and populist League – always ready to outdo one another on this subject – she stated the objectives of her migration policy at the end of her October 25 inaugural speech. At that point, there was talk of implementing a naval blockade that was supposed to put a stop to illegal landings, and of building new "hot spots" [migrant registration and identification centers] in African territories, where asylum applications would be processed before organizing a distribution of people entitled to asylum among European Union states.
The whole thing was accompanied by reference to an ill-defined development aid policy within the framework of a nebulous "Mattei Plan for Africa," invoking the spirit of Enrico Mattei, a pioneer in the Italian hydrocarbon sector. The founder of national energy giant ENI, celebrated for his positions in favor of African decolonization movements, Mattei is associated with a form of benevolent Third Worldism in the Italian historical imagination, relaying the influence of Rome in its Mediterranean neighborhood. As winter approached, the migration issue was less pressing, and the state of grace enjoyed by the head of the government, with the excellent results achieved by her party, made it possible to set out such grandiose visions.
Six months later, the stated ambitions of the Meloni government have hit the wall of reality. The hypothetical naval blockade is impossible to actually implement and was the first thing to disappear. Meanwhile, "hot spot" projects have also receded.
For the rest of the article visit: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/04/28/italy-s-hardline-stance-on-immigration-has-failed_6024719_23.html
