Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni
Migrants and Security decrees: a half way back. Salvini-Meloni agreement
We saw them sing together at the birthday party near Milan for Matteo Salvini’s 50th birthday. Between Giorgia MeloniPrime Minister, and the Northern League secretary, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, there is an agreement on immigration and on how to deal with the wave of landings with the secret services reporting up to 900,000 arrivals.
In the Cutro decree the League has already snatched three non-simple results: repeal of the rules on the residence permit for special protection, provisions on the commissioning of reception centres, derogation from the procurement code for the expansion of administrative detention centres. Now the crux is the notorious Salvini decrees, those of Count I and when the leader of the Carroccio was at the Keep them in mind. The Salvinian Igor Iezzi presented a bill to Montecitorio to reintroduce them, but no great openings came from Fratelli d’Italia. And to tell the truth not even from Forza Italia.
According to what appears to Affaritaliani.it, during the conversion of the Cutro decree – which will start from Palazzo Madama – the League will insert some points, especially on the fines for NGOs, which are somewhat reminiscent of the Salvini decrees. Basically, those standards of 2018-2019 – which have actually almost eliminated the landings – will be recovered in half. In part and in the conversion into law of the Cutro decree. This is the key point of the agreement between Meloni and Salvini. Also because the prime minister is betting a lot on the axis with Ursula von der Leyen, who has promised half a billion euros, and therefore does not want tears and actions that could make Brussels (and not even the Quirinale) inverse.
But the FdI leader certainly cannot give in on all fronts given that only a few months ago, at the end of August in the midst of the electoral campaign, she was still talking about a naval blockade. The point is to get to the Europe that you directly manage in the North African countries who can arrive and where, but not with small boats or NGOs but with planes and humanitarian corridors. For this we need an all-round understanding with Europe and on the one hand the prime minister cannot and must not dissatisfy the Northern League ally and right-wing voters but on the other she must keep the relationship with Brussels firm.
Also because there is something important and political behind it: the 2024 European elections and the attempt to make an agreement, obviously having the numbers, among the Conservatives and Reformists (Meloni is president of ECR) and the Popolari del PPE di con von der Leyen is part, with the aim of sending the social democrats and the left into the opposition (a fundamental point in Europe to carry on Italy’s two great battles: to stop the ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2035 and to water down the efficiency of homes). This is why the prime minister will only half satisfy her Northern League ally.
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