Italian premier Giorgia Meloni met with her Czech counterpart Petr Fiala in Prague this week. One of the major issues they discussed was EU migration policy. Fiala said that their two countries shared the "the same vision" on this issue.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni met with her Czech counterpart Petr Fiala in Prague on Wednesday (May 10). One of the main issues discussed by the two premiers was migration.
At a joint press conference after their talks, Fiala said "on migrants, Meloni brings many proposals to Europe. We support Italy's proposals, we have the same vision." He also said that a "more active fight against traffickers" was needed.
At the same press conference, Meloni called on the European Commission to do more to halt migration to Europe and increase deportations.
"Pursuing non-predatory cooperation with African countries is the most serious tool for tackling the migration crisis," she said.
"We need to work on a serious policy of returns and -- together with the countries of origin and transit -- on guaranteeing a right that has not always been guaranteed: the right not to be forced to flee in search of more favorable living conditions [elsewhere]", she said.
"This requires concrete action on the part of the European Commission, and we expect it to be taken before the next European Council meeting," the Italian premier said. The next meeting is scheduled to take place on June 29 and 30; migration is expected to be one of the topics on the agenda.
Migration to Italy
Migration is an important issue for the current Italian government. Promises to halt irregular migration to her country were a huge part of far-right premier Meloni's campaign; but since she took office in October 2022, migration to Italy via the Central Mediterranean has increased significantly, not decreased. 45,157 people landed on Italy's shores between January 1 and May 11 -- for the same period in 2022, the number was 12,324.
The Italian parliament recently greenlighted a controversial decree that severely limits a special protection status Italian authorities can grant to migrants who do not qualify for asylum, making asylum seekers eligible to stay in the country.
The Czech Republic has also seen an uptick in the number of arrivals from migrants and refugees recently, though most people arriving there seek to travel westward to other EU nations.
French political leader criticizes Meloni
On the same day that Meloni was visiting Prague, French newspaper Le Figaro published an interview with Stéphane Séjourné -- the leader of French President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party -- in which he staunchly criticized Italy's migration policy.
"Meloni does lots of rabble-rousing on illegal immigration: her policies are unjust, inhuman and ineffective," he was quoted as saying.
In response, Meloni accused Séjourné of "[using] us to settle the score on the domestic front."