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The struggle between the centrist government of Emmanuel Macron and the new radical right Executive of Giorgia Meloni on account of the fate of the 234 migrants rescued on the high seas by the Ocean Viking ship (operated by the French NGO SOS Mediterranean) has returned to the front line the internal divisions in the European Union on immigration policy.
Brussels is preparing a new emergency plan to try to de-escalate the clash between Italy and France. But the lack of agreement on a permanent mechanism to distribute to migrants that arrive in the southern countries – on the front line of the EU border – poisons all discussions.
Bypassing Meloni, Macron spoke this Monday by phone with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. “Both have affirmed the great importance of relations between France and Italy and have stressed the need to create the conditions for full cooperation in all areas, both bilaterally and within the European Union”, reads the joint communiqué published at the end of the conversation.
[Francia acogerá a los 234 inmigrantes del barco Ocean Viking y arremete contra Italia]
However, the dialogue between presidents has not served to resolve the dispute between Paris and Rome. The French Ministry of the Interior has ratified that reverses its decision to welcome the 3,000 migrants who have arrived in Italy whom it had promised to relocate. For his part, the new head of Italian diplomacy, Antonio Tajanihas brought the conflict to the meeting of EU foreign ministers held this Monday in Brussels.
France ended up allowing the Ocean Viking to enter the port of Toulon last weekwhich had been drifting for weeks for Italy’s refusal to open its ports. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin called Rome’s attitude “incomprehensible” and warned of “extremely severe consequences for bilateral relations.”
The new Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, during the meeting this Monday in Brussels
Darmanin argues that the Ocean Viking was “without any doubt in the Italian search and rescue zone” and for this reason it was up to the Government of Rome “to immediately designate a port to receive this ship”.
“The reaction that France is having to the request to welcome 234 migrants – when Italy has welcomed 90,000 this year alone – is totally incomprehensible,” he said. The new Italian Interior Minister has replied, Matteo Piantedosian independent appointed by La Liga de Matteo Salvini. The radical right-wing government of Meloni has made the closure of external borders one of the central axes of his political program.
Italy complains about the lack of solidarity from the rest of the EU partners. For starters, Poland and Hungary have blocked all attempts by Brussels to establish a system of mandatory quotas. To circumvent this veto, a total of 13 countries (including France and Germany) They agreed last June on a voluntary distribution mechanism. The goal was to distribute up to 8,000 migrants present in France, but so far only 117 have been located, of which Paris has only received 38.
“European solidarity is announced, but so far Italy has faced this problem alone and our reception system is in serious difficulties”, denounces the Government of Meloni, which over the weekend he has sought the support of Greece, Malta and Cyprus (but not from Spain). The four countries also question the role of the NGOs that patrol the Mediterranean, which they accuse of causing a “pull effect”.
En Européens, en pays voisins, en peuples amis, avec l’Italie nous devrons poursuivre tout le travail engagé. Réussir ensemble, avec dialogue et ambition, nous le devons à notre jeunesse et à nos peuples. Our premiere reunited with Rome, @GiorgiaMeloniva dans ce sens. pic.twitter.com/njWFLo97b9
—Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 23, 2022
“We cannot subscribe to the notion that countries of first entry are the only possible European landing sites for illegal immigrants, especially when this happens in an uncoordinated manner. based on a choice made by private vesselswhich act with complete autonomy from the authorities of the competent State”, states the joint declaration made public this Saturday by Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus.
The four countries ask the Commission on Ursula von der Leyen what to drink measures to restrict the activity of NGOs patrolling in the Mediterranean. An activity that in his opinion “does not conform to the spirit of the international legal framework regarding search and rescue operations.”
Migrants from the Ocean Viking, awaiting permission to disembark on November 6
What has von der Leyen done in this conflict? in an attempt to not to anger neither Rome nor Paris, the Community Executive initially opted for a low profile. “Saving lives on the high seas is a moral duty and a legal obligation,” the Interior spokeswoman said last Monday, when the situation on board the Ocean Viking began to be untenable.
It was not until Thursday when Brussels raised its tone and demanded the “immediate” disembarkation of the migrants to avoid a “humanitarian tragedy”. But he did without mentioning at any time the Government of Meloni and when the ship was already heading to the port of Toulon.
Once the case is resolved, the European Commission claims the Urgent call for an extraordinary meeting of the 27 Interior Ministers. “We cannot allow two member states to fight each other in public and create another political megacrisis on migration,” said the vice president of the Community Executive, Margaritis Schinas. Brussels defends that the solution lies in the European Migration Pact that it proposed in September 2020, but the invoice between the Member States prevents any progress.
