Italy has taken an unprecedented decision to address the migration issue. The Government of Giorgia Meloni has declared a state of emergency for six months, an exceptional measure that will allow them to speed up decision-making on issues such as the expulsion of migrants who arrived by sea in an irregular situation, as leaked by the Executive . It will also involve the Civil Protection and the Red Cross and will make it possible to offer accommodation solutions in a shorter time, according to the same sources.
Despite everything, little is known about the intentions of the Executive led by Brothers of Italy, a party that for years has criticized the migration management of previous governments. Only its duration – half a year – is known, which will be endowed with five million euros and which, according to Meloni, will serve to “provide more effective and timely responses to the management of flows”. In Italy, the state of emergency is a mechanism by which, in the face of a specific problem – such as a natural disaster, earthquakes or floods -, the Executive acquires extraordinary powers to decree decisions without the need to consult Parliament. In the last twenty years it has been declared a total of 128 times. One of the last occasions was after the health crisis resulting from the pandemic, when this rule was extended on several occasions. As the extensions progressed, discontent with the restrictions adopted grew.
The Executive of Meloni justifies this drastic measure with the increase in arrivals by sea in recent days, a phenomenon which, according to the Minister of Civil Protection, Nello Musumeci, registers a “300% increase”. According to the Italian media, in three days more than 3,000 people have landed on the coast. “Let me be clear, we are not solving the problem, the solution can only depend on a responsible intervention by the European Union”, assured the also head of Marine Policies.
Everything comes after a tragedy, that of the wreck of Cutro, in Calabria, in February, which caused the death of 91 people. The Italian government came to power promising to curb immigration, but since the beginning of the year more than 31,000 migrants have arrived in Italy, compared to 7,900 in the same period. On Monday alone, the coast guard carried out two operations involving two ships with about 1,200 people on board.
Until now, Meloni’s most important rule on immigration was made after the Calabria shipwreck, when he wanted to approve new measures to toughen punishments for traffickers with the inclusion of a new type of crime that carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and preferential entry fees for countries of origin that fight against these organizations. They are also putting obstacles in the oenagés, forcing them to sail for days to disembark in distant ports, although without the expected results. At the European level, the prime minister is trying to promote new negotiations, but there has been no major progress at the moment. With the state of emergency, Rome aims to give Brussels a touch of attention again.
