“Elly Schlein talks about a ‘boomerang’ and an alleged failure of the Government in managing migrants. But before doing propaganda, it would be useful to know the difference between the issues being discussed”: Giorgia Meloni responds to the recent accusations of the PD leader with a post on Facebook. And she explains: “Schengen and the Migration and Asylum Pact are two completely different things and have nothing to do with each other. And it is precisely the new Pact that marks a positive turning point for Italy in managing the so-called ‘Dublin’ migrants.”
Focusing on the new EU Pact, the premier emphasized that “the new rules protect much more the first-entry States regarding asylum requests and, with the strengthening of the Safe Third Country principle wanted by Italy, it will be easier to carry out accelerated returns. Regarding the situation before these changes, this Government opposed the application of rules that were senselessly penalizing for us and indeed, from 2023 to today Italy has rejected about 80 thousand requests for responsibility transfers from other Member States. And it is thanks to the firmness of this Government that Italy has not passively accepted everything other States asked of us.”
Meloni then wondered what would have happened if there had been a left-wing government instead: “It probably would have accepted those requests, further worsening the pressure on our reception system and creating even more problems in managing migratory flows.” Finally, she concluded: “The priority for Italy remains, in any case, the fight against mass illegal immigration, not simply deciding how to distribute migrants in Europe. And we will continue to work to drastically reduce irregular arrivals: through strengthening the European external borders, cooperation with countries of origin and transit, combating traffickers, and a more effective return policy. This is the path the Government will continue to follow.”
