Italy, France, and Germany team up for migrant repatriation

Rome: The interior ministers of Italy, France and Germany met on August 29 in Rome to discuss working together on migration policies ahead of upcoming meetings at the EU level.

Italy, France, and Germany are working together for tighter measures against undocumented immigrants and repatriations that are more effective at the legal level. This “shared approach” was discussed at a meeting of the three countries’ interior ministers on August 29 in Rome on the invitation of Italian interior minister Matteo Piantedosi, ahead of meetings at the European level that will focus on the issue of countries considered “safe”.

“Making every possible effort to more effectively counter undocumented migration flows and human trafficking” is the path chosen by the ministers — Bruno Retailleau, Alexander Dobrindt and Piantedosi — who reiterated their support for the full implementation of the new Migration and Asylum Pact.

The ministers backed a proposed new regulation on migrant repatriation presented by the European Commission, which, they say, represents “progress in the right direction”.

The work for the passing of the new regulation constitutes for the ministers also an “opportunity to share initiatives and proposals to further strengthen the legal framework in the issue of repatriations”.

To this end, the aim is finding legal forms to render them more effective and overcome issues that block repatriations for those considered dangerous and those committing serious crimes.

The August 29 three-way meeting was held only weeks after a ruling by the EU Court of Justice on a Memorandum of Understanding between Italy and Albania.

The ruling seemed to be calling for a halt to the centers in Shengjin and Gjader, where the Italian authorities transfer migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea and coming from countries considered safe while waiting for fast-track decisions on their asylum requests.

The European judges established that the government can designate a third country as a safe country via a decree law, but only if that choice is upheld by a judge.

And, until the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact comes into effect on June 12 next year, no country can be considered safe unless it ensures protection for the entire country. This decision was criticised by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The European Commission also commented, underscoring that the new regulation on asylum procedures will bring in new measures to enable member states to designate a third country as “safe” with the exclusion of specific parts of the country or clearly identifiable people.