migration
EU asylum reform: Italy is bothered by civil sea rescue
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani. Rome has a critical attitude towards civilian sea rescuers and their funding by Germany. photo
© Tobias Schwarz/POOL/AFP/dpa
The EU has been struggling for asylum reform for a long time. An agreement initially seemed close, but Italy expressed reservations. There could be a simmering dispute between Rome and Berlin behind this.
After the negotiations on a EU asylum reform once again expressed irritation at German financial aid for civilian sea rescue organizations.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the newspaper “La Repubblica” that he was concerned about the news that seven NGO ships, some of them under the German flag, were on their way to Lampedusa. “That seems really strange to me. On the day that a possible EU pact is being negotiated, all these ships are coming,” said Tajani.
First resistance from Berlin, then from Rome
The EU has long been struggling for an asylum reform that would limit irregular migration. So far, Germany in particular has come under pressure for its lack of approval for one element of the reform, but gave up its resistance on Thursday at a meeting of EU interior ministers. Italy stood in the way in the negotiations and expressed reservations. Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi walked out of the meeting, delaying an agreement. The background was apparently Rome’s critical attitude towards civilian sea rescuers and their funding by Germany.
Rome sees it as interference that the federal government wants to financially support aid organizations. Rome had already taken an increasingly harsh tone against Berlin in the past few days. Observers see Italy’s delay on Thursday as a reaction to the long-simmering dispute between Rome and Berlin.
Italy’s foreign minister suspects electoral tactics
Tajani suspects that Germany’s adherence to supporting civilian sea rescuers is due to election tactics. You can’t finance NGO ships that pick up migrants and then take them to Italy, says Tajani. Ships flying the German flag were supposed to bring the migrants to Germany. The fact that this does not happen raises doubts. “Is it about saving the migrants or preventing them from coming to Germany?”
After the delay on Thursday, Interior Minister Piantedosi now only wants to examine the legal aspects of the new EU asylum compromise, Tajani continued. “We waited for months for the others. If you wait an hour for Italy, nothing will happen.” Ultimately, everyone agreed that a European solution was necessary and that we had to work together.