Giorgia Meloni: Italy a ‘model to follow’ on migration

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy has become a “model to follow” when it comes to dealing with illegal migration.
Speaking to the Italian Senate on Tuesday, Meloni said she welcomed with great satisfaction the interest from various European leaders in Italy’s policies on migration “as proof of the pragmatism and effectiveness that have marked our action in the fight against illegal immigration.”
“I am proud that Italy has become, from this point of view, a model to follow,” she said.
Italy transported for the first time on Monday a group of 16 migrants to one of two newly inaugurated migrant reception centers in Albania, activating a controversial plan to process thousands of asylum-seekers in a non-EU country.
Meloni, who had been previously criticized for her hard-line stance on migration, was recently praised by leaders such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for cutting irregular migration.
In a letter to EU leaders on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen endorsed the idea of establishing so-called return hubs outside the EU territory.
“With the start of operations of the Italy-Albania protocol, we will also be able to draw lessons from this experience in practice,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, human rights groups and opposition politicians have called the deal “dehumanizing” and “illegal,” warning of the risks in diverting migrants to an extra-territorial location.
According to the Italian leader, Rome has “set a good example” with the signing of the Italy-Albania protocol. “It is a new, courageous, unprecedented path, but one that perfectly reflects the European spirit,” she said.
Migration will be one of the main issues European leaders will discuss during the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
Meloni also announced that there will be an informal meeting of interested EU member countries this week on Italy’s migrant centers initiative.