Italy is led by a three-party coalition, and the Germans can perhaps understand particularly well that the partners do not always agree on this, given their “traffic light”. However, the Italian model has worked quite well so far under the young but tactically adept Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The coalition is working, despite sometimes very different opinions, and its approval ratings have not plummeted.
So it is not particularly dramatic that the European Parliament members of the three governing parties voted differently on the asylum compromise in Brussels. The right-wing populist Lega under agitator and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini voted against more than half of the proposed laws – unlike the right-wing conservative former Berlusconi party Forza Italia, whose head is the Italian foreign minister and Europe friend Antonio Tajani. Meloni’s own party, the post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia, also approved seven of nine measures – even though the majority of the EKR faction, in which Meloni sets the tone, rejects the asylum compromise. Everything is fine so far?
It doesn’t have to be that way; in the end, what counts for the practical politics of the Republic of Italy at the European level is what Georgia Meloni thinks and does. Contrary to all her announcements during the election campaign that she wanted to seal off Italy at all costs, the 47-year-old has a fairly pragmatic asylum policy. According to Brussels’ assessment, it is currently the driving force in EU asylum policy.
So far, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has, contrary to many expectations, pursued a rather pragmatic refugee policy.
(Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)
The new EU agreements with countries such as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt are largely due to Meloni, in which the starting states undertake to curb migration in return for the promise of cooperation and billions in aid. Meloni demonstrably maintains close contact with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), with whom she gets along well, despite being in different political camps.
No other EU country experiences migration in such a direct way. The small island of Lampedusa, which belongs to Italy, is located close to the African coast. Seduced by smugglers, many people dare to cross there on barges that are often rusty, open and not suitable for the oceans. A boat with more than 40 people on board has just capsized in international waters southeast of Lampedusa, leaving nine dead and 15 missing. The waves are said to have been 2.50 meters high. The Italian coast guard is trying to save people. Nevertheless, criticism comes from private aid organizations that operate their own ships in the Mediterranean. They accuse the government of hindering the rescue of people in distress by keeping the organizations’ ships in port.
From next month, Rome wants to send boat refugees directly to camps in Albania, a country that is not a member of the EU. It is a controversial project, even in Italy, but for Meloni it was born out of necessity. Even though the number of boat refugees in the first quarter of the year was halved compared to the previous year – around 13,000 people were registered – mayors and local representatives still complain that they are not keeping up with the accommodation.