Migrants, Italians support border controls as well

Rome – Italians want more border controls as well. Just like the British, who recently voted for Brexit largely for immigration-related issues, the Austrians, who almost elected a xenophobe as president, and the Hungarians, who are likely to vote against EU migrant quotas in an upcoming referendum, also the Italians appear to have become increasingly intolerant towards migration, to the point that 48% of them now support the reintroduction of permanent border controls, which would mark the end of the right to free movement enshrined in the Schengen Treaty.

This is the result of a Demos survey conducted on a representative sample of the population and published today in the newspaper la Repubblica. Another 35% support the reintroduction of controls, but only in special circumstances. Only 15% would keep Schengen as it is.

The survey does not explain the reasons for this shift in attitude. However, it is reasonable to assume that the lack of support from Italy’s European partners on migratory issues – exemplified by the constant refusals of the Visegrad Group and the slow and erratic behaviour of other member states – has contributed to this result. In the aftermath of the failed summit in Bratislava, Matteo Renzi warned the EU that ‘if Europe does not help us, we will go at it alone’. A DIY approach that a good number of citizens believe should take the form of closed borders.

Should we therefore expect Italy to change its position on immigration, just like Germany is doing in the face of the AfD’s challenge to Angela Merkel’s rule? It is unrealistic to assume that Renzi, who considers Schengen to be the EU’s main achievement (together with peace among the countries of Europe), will become an advocate of closed borders. But the fact that the electorate of the Democratic Party is less sensitive to the siren call of walls and barbed wire – among party voters, support for border controls goes down to 38% – does not mean that the problem does not exist for the prime minister. Among the rest of the electorate, the issue of border closure has a certain traction. It has the support of 53% of centrists, 49% of 5 Star Movement voters, 65% of Forza Italia (centre-right) voters and 72% of Northern League voters. Importantly, it also has strong support among the undecided: 48%.

Of course, this does not mean that Renzi will start chasing Salvini on immigration. To try to quell the public anxiety over migrants, he will likely push for greater investment in Africa and for deals with countries of origin to reduce the flow at the source. EU support would be of great help, of course, but Renzi cannot afford to sit still in the meantime. The polls have spoken loud and clear.