BRUSSELS. “We will defend our borders”, “closed ports”, and above all “mass expulsions”. The slogans and the positions taken by the leader of the League, Matteo Salvini, clash against the infringement procedure that the European Commission initiates against Italy for the failure to implement the regulation for the establishment of a European travel document for the repatriation of irregular immigrants. A 2016 regulatory act, which Salvini himself, when he was in government from June 2018 to August 2019, was unable to make progress.
The community executive waited, but now the patience is over. Italy and Malta have not drawn up and transmitted a model of this document required by Community legislation. This document is not exactly irrelevant, given that, they reminded Brussels, the European travel document for repatriation “facilitates the process” of return in the framework of readmission agreements or other agreements concluded by the Union or the Member States with third countries and ” reduces the administrative burden for Member States and third countries’. It would therefore allow less costs, less delays, and maybe even some more repatriation precisely because of this.
The regulation in question, which also contains a facsimile of the document in question with the graphic and technical specifications (dimensions, arrangement of text, photos and space stamps) had to enter into force on April 8, 2017, with the obligation to European Commission to verify the state of implementation by 8 December 2018, the date on which the work of the yellow-green government falls. Lega and Movimento 5 Stelle have inherited delays from the previous executive, but have had the necessary time to remedy. Instead, the Northern League and its leader, who have always made a program priority on immigration and the fight against irregular flows and a possible transposition would also have been useful in terms of images and consensus, have not put Italy in order. against illegal immigrants.
There are now two months to prevent the infringement from continuing. Given the political-institutional work to convene the Chambers, elect presidents and commissions, and appoint the new government, it is reasonable to expect that the two months will not be enough and the Commission will grant more time in the name of the timing of democracy and its processes. Then, however, the League back to the government will be called, with its allies, to implement in all respects the regulation for the European document for the repatriation of illegal immigrants.