Immigration, Italy presses EU partners on returns and safe countries

Brussels – Accelerating repatriations, through the definition of a broader and shared list of “safe” third countries, with the creation of external centres (hubs) to manage incoming flows before they reach Europe. Italy is working with its EU partners to tighten the immigration net, and the European Council summit becomes the occasion for a summit within a summit. A total of 13 countries, half of the Union, met on the sidelines of the actual meeting.

 Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Poland, and Sweden discussed with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, what has been done and what still needs to be done. The meeting, strongly desired and once again hosted by Italy, focused in particular on innovative migration solutions for which the Meloni government has received appreciation and support. EU sources explain that, in addition to confirming Italy’s commitment to innovative solutions, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni updated partners on the ongoing work on the capacity of international conventions to address the challenges of irregular migration and on the next steps planned. In this regard, a meeting at the official level will take place in Rome on 5 November to continue the joint work.

The leaders of the EU countries gathered around the table agreed to continue maintaining close coordination not only within the EU and the Council of Europe, but also, more generally, in various international contexts to “more effectively promote the European approach to the orderly management of migratory flows.”

During the new informal meeting led by Italy, a clear political support of the European Commission for the government in Rome emerged, with von der Leyen insisting in particular on the need to further accelerate the negotiations on the returns regulation and the European list of safe countries of origin, topics dear to the current majority in Italy.