(ANSAmed) - ROMA, 01 NOV - A new clash over migration policy
has erupted between the Italian government and the opposition
following the executive's decision to incorporate the Safe
Countries decree into an amendment to the flow decree.
The migration debate has now shifted to the Chamber of Deputies:
the Safe Countries decree, currently under review in the Senate
— which redefines the list of countries relevant to asylum
seekers — will now be part of an amendment to the flow decree,
scheduled for a Chamber review on November 21.
Opposition: 'Parliament, not the government, decides the rules'
"The Safe Countries decree must be withdrawn by the government
today; otherwise, if it exists, it should respect Parliament.
The rules are set by Parliament, not the government. This move
is trampling on the boundaries of the rule of law," said Senate
Democratic Party (PD) leader Francesco Boccia, a statement
supported by the Green and Left Alliance. "We have protested,
demanding immediate hearings on the Safe Countries decree. La
Russa has promised to encourage the Constitutional Affairs
Committee to act."
Roughly three hundred amendments have been submitted by groups
to the flow decree currently under review by the Chamber's
Constitutional Affairs Committee. "The decision is in no way
intended to infringe on parliamentary prerogatives, but as the
two measures are related and closely interconnected, we consider
it appropriate that they be examined together," clarified
Minister for Parliamentary Relations Luca Ciriani. However, the
PD has decried this move as "procedural violence committed in
the Constitutional Affairs Committee."
Legal stalemate following migrants' return from Albania
Regardless of the approval method, there is still no certainty
that the Safe Countries provision, enacted after a ruling by
Rome's court overturning the detention of migrants sent to
Albania, will be decisive.
Recently, the Bologna court referred the same government decree
to the European Court of Justice, with the EU court's response
potentially months away. Meanwhile, the government has mandated
the State's Attorney to prepare counter-arguments for the
European Court of Justice, and the Ministry of the Interior has
lodged an appeal with the Court of Cassation against the
non-validation of the detentions. Interior Minister Matteo
Piantedosi has announced that the government will proceed with
expedited repatriation measures. The Italian Navy ship Libra,
designated for migrant transfers to Albanian centers, remains
docked in Messina awaiting the ministry's directives. Currently,
the five Egyptians and seven Bangladeshis who returned from
Albania remain in asylum-seeker status, pending a definitive
ruling from the Italian authorities, which is not expected soon.
(Picture shows Italy's Chamber of deputies, Rome, 30 ooctober
2024. PHOTO: ANSA/RICCARDO ANTIMIANI) (ANSAmed).