LONDON. Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Benedetto Della Vedova will go to London next week to discuss with the British Undersecretary of the Interior responsible for immigration on the affair of Italian citizens who have been denied entry visas and who have been detained in special centers and returnees. This was announced by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, responding to the Time question on this matter. Della Vedova had already raised the issue during a meeting at the Farnesina with the United Kingdom Ambassador.
Di Maio stressed that the Italian embassy in London “formally intervened with direct contacts with the British Ministry of the Interior to ask for clarification and to express concern for the disproportionate treatment reserved to our compatriots”. The request is to respect European citizens and rights. Furthermore, the British authorities were “presented with the opportunity to strengthen information campaigns on the migration legislation in force since 1 January 2021” after Brexit. “The Delegation of the European Union in London, also on our impulse, intervened with the British authorities to request a closer link between the European citizens concerned and their respective consular offices, to limit the detention times and to guarantee adequate treatment for those arrested” , the foreign minister reported.
The Italian diplomatic-consular network in the United Kingdom “has long been engaged in a widespread information campaign on the new legislation for entry into the country after Brexit, including through the website traviaresicuri.it,” explains Di Maio. The campaign was recently intensified and relaunched on social media, in view of the possible resumption of international travel following the easing of travel restrictions.
So far 12 Italians have been prevented from entering the United Kingdom by the British authorities and repatriated, “all however promptly assisted by the Italian consulate in London”, underlines the Foreign Minister.