Meloni, Italy’s Anti-immigrant Leader, Swims in Turmoil as Migrant Flows Spike Under Her Watch by Cain Burdeau
September 15, 2023
Introduction:
PALERMO, Sicily (Courthouse News) — After nearly a year at the helm, the anti-immigrant far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is facing her first major political crisis after thousands of migrants aboard dozens of small boats began overwhelming the tiny Sicilian island of Lampedusa this week.
The arrival of so many migrants is undermining Meloni's image as the ardent champion of Italy's right-wing nationalists who see migration as Italy's biggest threat.
“It is becoming a bigger and bigger source of political embarrassment for her and also it's starting to create some tension within the ruling coalition,” said Wolfango Piccoli, an analyst at Teneo, a London-based political risk firm.
By Wednesday, more than 7,000 migrants, most of them fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa, had reached Lampedusa, overwhelming an island with a population of 7,000.
Although the island has long been a destination for migrants due to its proximity to North Africa, this week's influx was seen as among the most chaotic in many years. Filippo Mannino, the island's mayor, declared a state of emergency as he blasted Meloni and European Union leaders for not doing enough to help.
African Union Commission calls for ‘paradigm shift’ at Italy-Africa summit
Mon 29 Jan 2024 17.38 GMT
The chair of the African Union Commission has said “we are not beggars” as the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, outlined a plan aimed at helping African countries to prosper in return for curbing illegal immigration.
Speaking at the much anticipated Italy-Africa summit in Rome, Moussa Faki welcomed Italy’s overtures for a mutually beneficial strengthening of relations with the African continent, but said: “We cannot be satisfied with mere promises that can’t be kept.”
Faki said a “paradigm shift” was required to usher in “a new model of partnership” and pave the way “towards a more just and coherent world”. He said: “Africa does not want to reach out. We are not beggars.”
Leaders and representatives from 45 African nations, including the presidents of Tunisia, Senegal, Kenya, the Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe and Somalia, were in the Italian capital to hear the details of Meloni’s so-called “Mattei plan”, a flagship policy inspired by Enrico Mattei, the founder of the oil company Eni who in the 1950s pushed for Italy to support African countries to develop their natural resources and improve their economies.
The summit, hosted in the prestigious Palazzo Madame, the seat of the Italian senate, was also attended by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Council president, Charles Michel, and Roberta Metsola, the head of the EU parliament.
