Meloni presents her migration story to the European Council

While the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived at the European Council headquarters in Brussels to explain to his colleagues in the EU his military strategy against Russian aggression, Giorgia Meloni offered breakfast in the Italian delegation room of the same complex.

Amidst pasta, coffee and Italian brand sparkling water, eleven community leaders from Denmark and the Netherlands – the event’s other sponsors – Greece, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, listened to his presentation of the migration agreement. Albania is an example of the “innovative” solutions of centers in third countries considered safe that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to promote. The same leader of the Community Executive attended the meeting, and showed his support for this next step in tightening the rules on returning migrants with irregular status, which more and more EU countries want.

European sources confirmed that, as Meloni had proposed in the morning meeting, he had coordinated his voice with the rest of the table in the discussion, which at some points took on an emotional tone. Each community leader spoke about the immigration situation in their country, whether or not there are entry limits. And among the points they discussed were migrant deportation centers in third countries outside the EU. “We have talked about different options and innovative ways to fight irregular migration, from reviewing the concept of safe third countries and the idea of ​​migrant return centres,” von der Leyen confirmed.

Although there is no consensus on whether this route could be possible – there is much concern about whether the possibility complies with European laws – they expressed a certain consensus about the need for the EU to promote returns. Focused on consent. In the end, the leaders managed to agree on a text that called for considering “new ways to prevent and counter” irregular migration and taking action to “enhance and accelerate” the return of immigrants to their countries of origin. Satisfied everyone by talking. , The findings also invited the European Commission to present a new legislative proposal on returns as a matter of urgency.

Scholz rejects deportation centres: “They are not a solution for a big country like Germany”

If two years ago the leader of the Brothers of Italy, who came to Brussels as a newcomer, feared her radical stance – “I am not a monster,” she declared in an interview – this Thursday she was not only It was accepted as a form, but it felt like the story had won the battle. Even another country like Sweden, which did not participate in the meeting, agreed with the Italian Prime Minister’s immigration views on outsourcing migration management.

Although this was not the main point of von der Leyen’s letter to community leaders, it dominated the media. There were leaders who expressed their disagreement, such as the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, or the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz. “It’s clear that when you look at the data, concepts representing small droplets are not the right solution for a large country like Germany,” Scholz said. Pedro Sánchez lamented, “These are formulas that do not solve any problems and create new problems.”

But in the end, everyone stopped talking about it, at a time when the EU is having difficulty finding a common approach on an issue that is always divisive because each country has its own needs. While Spain – contrary to Meloni’s views – is experiencing an increase in arrivals to the Canary Islands, Poland and Finland are now fighting against what they define as the use of facilitated migration by Russia and Belarus as a weapon to destabilize the bloc. Have been. “This is a hybrid attack. This is not the first time this has happened in the EU, we have also seen it in Greece and the Baltics. European Council President Charles Michel showed his solidarity with Warsaw, commenting, “This is an extraordinary situation that requires appropriate means.”

In Europe they have already acknowledged that the debate has evolved radically in recent years. A European source admitted, “Earlier it was impossible to talk about gateways, and now we are talking about outlying centres.” The dynamics of the European Council and the right wing have consequences. The next interior commissioner will be Magnus Brunner, the finance minister of Austria, an Austrian, one of the countries with the toughest immigration lines. In the Netherlands, the government, formed by a coalition of four parties led by far-right Geert Wilders, is considering “welcoming to Uganda” African asylum seekers who it believes no longer have any legal means to stay in Uganda. Cannot take recourse to. .this country.

The Italian leader presented his agreement with Albania at von der Leyen’s last meeting

It is not only conservative representatives who support these paths, but one of the organizers of the breakfast with Meloni, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, is part of the social democratic family. And, while in France Emmanuel Macron faces serious difficulties and in Germany Olaf Scholz has imposed border controls after Germany’s option to go ahead, the Meloni government in Italy does not face any obvious cracks. It is falling.

Apart from migration, the other issue addressed by the European summit is the rise in tensions in the Middle East. There are a growing number of leaders at the European Council table who believe that Israel’s approach is becoming increasingly less acceptable, particularly following attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. “One leader asked the rest when they were going to tell Israel ‘enough’,” a European source revealed.