Boost concept of safe countries say Meloni and Orban

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 4 - The concept of safe countries for repatriating migrants must be consolidated, Premier Giorgia Meloni and visiting Hungarian Prime Minister said after talks in Rome Wednesday and after Italian judges have nixed the detention of migrants held in Albanian-based processing centres because their countries of origin, Egypt and Bangladesh, are not deemed wholly safe.
    The talks, the leaders said in a joint statement, "allowed us to reaffirm the importance of combating irregular migration.
    "The two Heads of Government called for a strengthening of cooperation with countries of origin and transit, to address the root causes and to combat human trafficking and smuggling in order to prevent loss of life and irregular departures".
    The two leaders also "shared the urgency of an updated legal framework to facilitate, increase and accelerate repatriations from the European Union, with particular attention to consolidating the concept of safe countries of origin". (ANSA).