I'll tell Paris it's wrong on returns in Ventimiglia -Tajani

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 24 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Sunday he would tell his French counterpart Catherine Colonna that Paris is "wrong" to refuse migrants entry at the France-Italy border at Ventimiglia during a meeting on Monday.
    "Tomorrow I will be in Paris and I will tell my colleague Colonna that in Ventimiglia France is wrong" on returns, Tajani told current affairs programme Mezz'ora' on Rai 3.
    The foreign minister also said he would be in Berlin on Thursday and that he would raise the issue of the German government's decision to finance migrant NGOs in Italy.
    "It's a strange attitude, we will try to understand why it is moving in this way," said Tajani.
    The problem exists, but it must be tackled in a supportive rather than a selfish manner. Italy is the southern border" of Europe, he added.
    Paris has recently stepped up controls at its southern border with Italy to prevent irregular migrants arriving in Italy from crossing over into France.
    The EU Court of Justice on Thursday ruled that the France's policy of refusing entry to illegally-staying third-country nationals at its borders with other Member States breaches EU law, in a ruling on an appeal against the policy presented by several associations.
    "Any illegally staying third-country national must, as a general rule, be the subject of a return decision" even when controls have been temporarily reintroduced under the Schengen Borders Code, the court said.
    "However, the person concerned must, in principle, be given a certain amount of time to leave the country voluntarily.
    "Forced removal is used only as a last resort," it added.
    Meanwhile, on Friday it emerged that Berlin would be funding the German NGO SOS Humanity to preform migrant search and rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean.
    The news sparked the ire of the right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni, which described the move as an "anomaly" and demanded clarification. (ANSA).