Italy, Germany pledge to EU common approach on migration

ROME

Italy and Germany agreed to collaborate towards a common European approach to tackle migration issues, as the two countries’ leaders met in Rome on Thursday for bilateral talks.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who leads a conservative coalition, said that the European Union should focus on countries that – like Italy – are most exposed to migrants’ arrivals.

“We hope that we can meet halfway to defend the interests of all nations,” she said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz following their talks.

“I am convinced that reaching a solution is a priority, but I also think it’s important to give attention to the claims of the countries that are most under pressure,” Meloni added.

The EU Internal Affairs Council on Thursday postponed the decision to propose a new deal on migration and asylum requests, aiming to ensure greater solidarity for member states that register the most significant number of arrivals.

Scholz stressed that Italy could not be left alone to deal with migrant fluxes since Mediterranean countries face challenges as the number of people arriving at the borders increases.

“We must adopt an approach of solidarity and responsibility,” the German chancellor said, adding that he believed a European solution should include “legal corridors for qualified people.”

Italy has long been on the frontline of migration from North African countries and is now urging other EU members to step up in sharing the burden. It, however, also wants to limit the departure of migrants to “defend EU borders.”

Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has widely campaigned to block illegal migration, has to deal with a surging number of migrants who cross the Mediterranean to reach European coasts. About 52,000 migrants arrived in Italy since the start of 2023, more than double from last year, estimated at 21,000, according to official data from the Interior Ministry.

Scholz said EU countries need to share the solutions to the migrant problem, and stressed that Germany has been doing its part, taking in “more than a million” Ukrainian war refugees in 2022 and “230,000 refugees from other countries.”

Meloni announced that she would travel to Tunisia again over the weekend with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to negotiate unblocking loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the North African state. The Italian premier said that instability in Tunisia could generate a dangerous “domino effect” in the Mediterranean but added she was confident they could reach a deal with the IMF.

The two leaders also committed to further cooperation in the energy sector to diversify sources and to pursue a reform of the EU stability pact focusing on growth.

Meloni and Scholz confirmed that Rome and Berlin are fully aligned on the conflict in Ukraine, pledging full support to Kyiv through military and humanitarian aid.