Definitely vanishedillusion cultivated for months by the center-right electorate that a government led by Giorgia Meloni would have blocked as if by magic landings of migrants, it is reality in all its harshness that dictates the possible solutions that come from Rome but above all from Brussels. While there are those who define the emergency landings in Lampedusa as more than a "conspiracy" a sort of "self-plot" hatched by the Government itself to its own detriment, the Prime Minister and the President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen they will visit the Lampedusa hotspot together, probably on Sunday. Just at the same hours as in Pontida Salvini e The Pen they will thunder against Europe incapable of effectively dealing with the landings.
A more than cordial understanding has been created between the two representatives of the Italian and European executives, as was clearly seen in the two joint missions in Tunisia and in the migration summit held in Rome. Von der Leyen is optimistic that the new Pact for immigration and asylum can find effective mechanisms for primary movements with increased controls at maritime borders as well as for the compulsory relocation of migrants to the rest of Europe.
Rethinking a new Operation Sophia
On Monday, the Foreign Minister announces, Antonio Tajani, they will be taken new measures in the Council of Ministers. “If the root problem is not resolved, we will have periodic reopenings, periodic waves of migrants that we are unable to bear – says Tajani – Europe could think of a new Operation Sophia which in the various degrees of action also included firmness towards irregular migrants to try to solve the problem with great determination".
In short, while Meloni and Salvini compete with each other each other on the possible "Hard line" on migrants the secretary of Forza Italia and responsible for our diplomacy presents the moderate face as a centrist to his electorate in view of the European elections, dusting off a recipe repeatedly supported by the Democratic Party and the left, i.e. giving greater powers to the Sophia mission or creating a new European Mare nostrum. Actually the mission Eunavfor Med Irini (who took Sophia's inheritance) could be quickly reactivated; it would only be enough to give her means and objectives limited to the landings (she is currently dealing with the arms embargo on Libya). Meloni does not speak explicitly about Sophia but in a video message she no longer uses the term dear to her of "naval blockade" (they explained to her that it is not feasible without an agreement from the country of origin) but only of Italian and European naval vessels in the waters facing Libya and Tunisia in agreement with the countries of North Africa.
Tajani: “United Nations in Africa”
According to Tajani, Europe is not even enough to tackle the phenomenon. 'We must not underestimate what is happening in Africa – observes the Foreign Minister – we will also talk about it at the United Nations, and then measures are needed to stop migratory flows. During our mission 'in the United States' we must absolutely ask for one presence of the United Nations because the situation in Africa is not explosive, it has already exploded."
From Tunis the signals of Saied presidency they are certainly not positive after the "no" to the European Parliament's mission which was also supposed to verify progress on the source of respect for human rights in that country.
The position of France and Germany
The European picture is also moving rapidly. There France, after blocking relocations from Italy, shows greater willingness to take solidarity measures. Paris is acting with determination on the Lampedusa situation, so much so that the French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, called a meeting on the ongoing crisis on the island (where Marion Maréchal Le Pen, number two of Éric Zemmour's Reconquête party and niece of Marine Le Pen, arrived on Thursday evening). Darmanin then had "a long discussion with the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, with which it agreed to work together to “significantly intensify the prevention of migrant departures and the fight against human traffickers”. But the German Government instead, it confirmed that Germany's voluntary reception of asylum seekers under the European Solidarity Mechanism will become active again when Italy will resume the regulations of the Dublin Regulation, the same thing that the centre-right parties, starting with Fdi, never wanted to change in Strasbourg.
