Italian Government Approves Ambitious Migration Law
The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has approved a highly ambitious migration law in a council of ministers meeting. The law aims to drastically strengthen border control, expulsion policies for foreigners, and restrictions on irregular immigration.
The project, already dubbed the "migrant security package," still needs to be debated and adopted by Parliament, a step that promises to be a heated debate in Rome and within the European Union.
Naval Blockades and Restrictions in Territorial Waters
The core of this project lies in an unprecedented measure: the possibility of establishing "naval blockades," which would prohibit migrant boats and humanitarian ships from entering Italian territorial waters for an initial period of 30 days, extendable up to six months in cases of exceptional migration pressure or threats to public order and national security.
Those who contravene this measure would face fines of up to €50,000 and confiscation of their vessels, particularly targeting rescue NGOs at sea.
Among other provisions, the law includes rules facilitating the expulsion of foreigners convicted of serious crimes, such as violence against public officials or other offenses deemed incompatible with legal stay in Italy.
The government aims to make these decisions more enforceable without the usual procedural delays. Human rights organizations and humanitarian associations have immediately reacted, warning of the risks to the lives of people at sea if rescue operations are hindered or criminalized.
According to Human Rights Watch, these provisions could lead to pushbacks to third countries without evaluating the protection needs of migrants or considering their vulnerability, raising significant legal and humanitarian concerns.
Political Context and European Pressure
This initiative comes in a tense political context: Italy continues to be one of the main EU countries on the front line facing arrivals through the central Mediterranean, although these have decreased compared to previous years' peaks.
The Meloni government, which won the elections on a platform of strengthening security and fighting illegal immigration, seeks to respond to these criticisms while implementing a policy deemed firmer than that of its predecessors.
Meanwhile, the new European migration pact, recently adopted by the European Parliament, gives member states more leeway to reject asylum applications from people arriving from "safe countries" and accelerate return procedures, reinforcing the logic of hardening carried by Rome.
The center-left opposition and several international organizations have denounced a text that, in their view, undermines the fundamental principles of asylum law, hinders the work of NGOs in the Mediterranean, and could violate Italy's European and international commitments to protect refugees.
The upcoming parliamentary discussions, expected in the coming weeks, will be crucial in determining the final content of the text and its real impact on Italian and European migration policy.
