“If the EU leaves us alone on the arrival of migrants in Lampedusa will certainly not be able to pretend to nitpick Italy on the Pnrr, deficit-GDP ratio and reform of the Stability Pact". The strategy he would have in mind can be summarized more or less like this Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who participated in the meeting of the Med9 which saw all the Mediterranean countries discuss the migration issue but not only. On 5 October Meloni will then fly to Granada in Spain for an extraordinary European summit in view of the European Council in Brussels on 26 October.
Migrants, decisive weeks
The next few weeks will therefore be decisive for the future of migrant file which is intertwined with all economic dossiers while there is a fluctuating posture of the Italian Government in relations with Paris and Berlin. If with the French president, Emmanuel Macron a rapprochement seems to be looming, with the German Chancellor Scholz There remain some critical issues that the mission of Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to Berlin yesterday did not dispel at all.
The Lampedusa-public accounts exchange
It is difficult to say whether in this hypothesis Lampedusa-public accounts exchange (a sort of "barter" that former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had attempted to implement at the time) may also include the stop that Interior Minister Piantedosi imposed on Brussels at thecrisis regulation included in the European Pact on Migration and Asylum for which approval times will now inevitably be extended.
Italy has in fact asked for time to evaluate the new compromise proposed by the Spanish presidency which took into account Germany's requests on protection for migrants and on the exclusion of rescues of NGOs considered as pull factors for migrant arrivals. For the Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson, however “nThere are no major obstacles” to have an agreement.
“The situation – he added – is that so far this year we have received more than 250.000 irregular arrivals in the European Union. The main increase concerns the central Mediterranean route towards Italy and especially towards Lampedusa which is really under pressure. At the same time, we have 600.000 asylum requests, or more than double the number of irregular arrivals. This also shows that our challenge is much bigger than preventing irregular arrivals and that we must work with third countries on all those arriving legally by plane to seek asylum in the European Union."
Pact on migrants after the European elections
Coreper will develop a new text in the next few days but the approaching deadlines European elections will probably suggest postpone the green light to the Pact since each country is betting on the possibility of obtaining greater advantages and greater bargaining power from the outcome of the vote. However, one thing is certain: sooner or later Italy will have to sign the ESM, being the only country that has not done so so far.
Leaders in Malta
In Malta, Meloni asked Mediterranean partners for "support" on migrants for our country to be included in the final declaration. But we're not just talking about migrants. Also on the table is the mid-term review of multiannual financial framework (which also provides funds for the internal and external dimension of migration) but above all the debate on European competitiveness, with the response to American anger and on the new economic governance.
Also on these points Meloni aims to obtain the support of the Mediterranean countries to oppose the approach of the Northern countries. With France, Italy shares the position on the rform of the Stability Pact that aims for growth within a sustainable finance framework. More generally in Malta but then also in Granada and Brussels the Prime Minister will ask for more understanding for the excess feared by Economy Minister Giorgetti of the 3% ceiling in the deficit/GDP ratio with the use of new debt of 2024 billion in 14.
