ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome on Tuesday, against a backdrop of strained relations between the two countries regarding migration issues.
The French leader was in the Italian capital to attend the state funeral of former President Giorgio Napolitano, who passed away on Friday at the age of 98.
A significant increase in migrant arrivals on the Italian island of Lampedusa earlier this month rekindled a contentious debate across the European Union regarding the allocation of responsibility for asylum seekers.
France, in particular, has witnessed heated rhetoric, with political parties in the country’s hung parliament embroiled in a debate over a proposed law governing the reception of new arrivals.
President Macron Offers Support to Italy on Migration
“We cannot leave the Italians alone,” Macron stated in a television interview on Sunday—a gesture of assistance that Meloni promptly expressed her “strong interest” in welcoming.
The two leaders previously met in Paris in June and are scheduled to attend a summit of Mediterranean leaders in Malta on Friday.
Meloni has also encountered migration-related disputes with Germany, whose President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, also attended Napolitano’s funeral.
Over the weekend, the Italy Prime Minister wrote to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, expressing concerns about Berlin’s financing of charitable projects aimed at assisting migrants at sea or on Italian soil.
Rome attributes the ongoing migrant flow to NGO-operated rescue boats in the central Mediterranean, known as the world’s deadliest sea route for migrants. However, data suggests that these vessels do not act as significant pull factors, as departures are primarily influenced by weather conditions rather than the presence of NGO boats. Furthermore, the majority of rescues are carried out by the Italian coastguard, according to the interior ministry.
Napolitano, a former communist who served an unprecedented second term as Italy’s president, was renowned for his moderation and statesmanship. He was considered a stabilizing figure during a period of political turbulence in Italian politics.
