Civil protection Minister Nello
Musumeci on Sunday ruled out introducing a naval blockade to
prevent irregular migration to Italy for the time being.
"The naval blockade is an extreme remedy that is defined by
international agreement, so this is not the time and it is not
opportune," said Musumeci in answer to a question on the
proposal, much-trumpeted by the Brothers of Italy (FdI) party of
Premier Giorgia Meloni during last year's election campaign and
recently relaunched by party bigwig and senate Speaker Ignazio
La Russa.
"Departures must be stopped through bilateral agreements with
the countries of departure," he continued.
"Confindustria claims Italy needs 400,000 workers. We need
manpower, so why not let migrants, who are fleeing their
countries because of war, persecution or famine, arrive in Italy
via regular pathways and avoid the mafia of the smugglers?"
said Musumeci.
"Why should they have to pay 6-8-10 thousand euro to those
criminals instead of entering Italy regularly and contributing
to the workforce? It is a simple and clear objective," he added.
"We are convinced that the agreements with Tunisia and Libya, if
the political framework in that country were to stabilise, could
allow Europe to turn this desperation into an opportunity,
provided, of course, that our rules and laws are respected,"
concluded the minister.
Italy has seen an 87% increase in the number of migrants and
refugees arriving by sea so far in 2023 with respect to the same
period last year.
Of the arrivals, around 70% have landed on the tiny Sicilian
island of Lampedusa, putting local reception and logistical
capacity under strain.
Meloni has made the 'external dimension' of migration - namely,
relations with countries of origin and transit, including Libya
and particularly Tunisia, which is currently the main country of
departure for people attempting the desperate journey across the
central Mediterranean - a cornerstone of efforts to address the
issue, while also insisting on a greater European response.
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