ROME (AP) – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday told European Union partners that curtailing the flow of migrants from African countries requires strategic investments in those countries, rather than philanthropic offers. He said that strong partnerships are important.
Meloni told reporters at a year-end press conference that last month’s agreement on the EU’s Migration and Refugee Treaty had partially improved the situation in Italy and other refugee-hosting countries, but it did not provide a solution to the growing number of migrant arrivals. He said it would not happen.
“What we need to do in Africa is not charity,” she says. “What we need to do in Africa is to build cooperation and serious strategic relationships, where we are equals, not predators.”
Meloni also stressed the need to “defend the right not to migrate…and this can be achieved through investment and strategy.”
The reforms agreed by EU leaders last month are based on a new set of regulations governing how member states deal with people arriving in Europe. The agreement has been heavily criticized by humanitarian groups who say it undermines the rights of people on the move.
Meloni also said that aiding Africa’s development and the dangers posed by artificial intelligence (AI) will be among Italy’s key themes during its one-year presidency of the Group of Seven (G7), which Rome took over in early January. He said it would be.
Italy has outlined its proposed strategy in Africa with the so-called Mattei Plan, named after Enrico Mattei, founder of state oil and gas giant Eni, aimed at expanding cooperation beyond energy. .
Meloni said the plan includes specific projects, but gave no details, adding that they would be announced in the coming weeks.
Italy’s leader has acknowledged that results in combating illegal immigration, one of the far-right coalition’s top priorities, have so far been disappointing.
Meloni’s government has drawn criticism from aid groups and left-wing opposition parties for approving stricter immigration laws, restrictions on maritime rescue operations, and plans to build a migrant reception center in Albania, but the government has not stopped mass migration to Italy The prime minister’s campaign promise to stem the influx has gone largely unfulfilled.
In 2023, the road from North Africa across the central Mediterranean to Italy will become Europe’s busiest migration route.
A total of 260,662 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to reach Europe since the beginning of 2023, according to UNHCR.
Migrants arriving in Italy in 2023 increased by 50% compared to the previous year, according to data from Italy’s Interior Ministry. Around 155,750 migrants arrived on Italian shores last year, including more than 17,000 unaccompanied minors, compared to 103,850 in 2022.
“The data on migration is not satisfactory, especially considering the effort we put into it,” Meloni said, adding that he would continue to work with African countries to prevent illegal migrants from leaving the country.