The Italian Senate has approved a bill aimed at regulating the arrival and repatriation of migrants. This followed several months of political struggle. A total of 99 senators voted in favor, while 65 voted against, and one abstained.
The essence of the law is to maintain the "Albanian model," which envisions the establishment of European centers for the swift repatriation of migrants in the long term. This policy has received endorsement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, but it has also faced criticism from Italian judges.
Amendments have been made to the draft document. Primarily, they pertain to the safe countries to which migrants who have illegally entered Italy can be repatriated.
Based on criteria established by European Union legislation and information from competent international organizations, the new list includes Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Morocco, Montenegro, Peru, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka, and Tunisia. The Council of Ministers will update this list annually on January 15 and submit it to the relevant parliamentary committees.
The law also addresses issues related to the rescue of migrants heading to Italy across the Mediterranean Sea, the possibility for migrants to reunite with their families, the timelines for asylum requests, and criteria for obtaining residence permits.
It is expected that the Italian authorities will allocate 35 million euros for cooperation programs with law enforcement agencies in third countries.
Representatives of NGOs have already criticized several provisions of the law. They assert that it is aimed not at managing rescue operations at sea but at limiting and obstructing the presence of humanitarian ships in the waters.