2024-09-16 13:18:00
On the second day of the dead boatload of migrants in the Channel, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Rome this Monday, September 16, to discuss the fight against illegal immigration , a subject of concern in the United Kingdom.
“It has made remarkable progress, working as an equal with the countries on the migration routes to fight the drivers of migration at the source and fight the networks, and the result is that those who arrive illegally by sea in Italy has fallen by 60% from the year 2022”, greetings. the British leader at a press conference with Giorgia Meloni.
According to the British press, Keir Starmer, who rejected the previous British Conservative government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda, is “opportunistic” in the way of Giorgia Meloni. In November 2023, he signed a controversial agreement with Tirana, including the creation of two centers for immigrants in Albania.
The Popular Command is responsible for protecting the borders
A few hours before this meeting, the British government announced the establishment of a popular authority responsible for protecting the country’s borders, one of Keir Starmer’s campaign promises.
Elected in July, he promised to fight against illegal immigration, especially against the arrival of migrants on small boats through the Channel.
Almost at the same time, the United Kingdom was a scene of violence to oppose immigration. These riots, the largest in the United Kingdom since 2011, targeted mosques and migrant accommodation centers across the country.
In the channel, crossings continue and tragedies follow one another: during the night from Saturday to Sunday, eight migrants died in the sinking of their boat off the coast of France. In total, 46 people have died since the beginning of the year. Almost 800 people crossed the Channel on Saturday, the second highest figure since the start of the year, according to Britain’s Home Office.
Drop in on arrival in Italy
The agreement signed between Rome and Tirana provides for the opening of a center in the port of Shengjin (northern Albania), used for the registration of asylum seekers and another in the same area, where they will be allowed while waiting answer to their question. .
These two institutions – funded and managed by Italy, on the territory of a country that is not part of the European Union (EU) but aspires to – will be able to receive 3,000 migrants who arrive in Italy through cord.
Immigrants who reject an asylum application will be returned to their country of origin, while those who have their application accepted will be admitted to Italy. The main difference is with the old London project, under which these applicants sent to Rwanda will not be able to get asylum in the United Kingdom. “We are only at the beginning, but I am interested in how it works, like everyone else, I think,” said Keir Starmer, according to comments reported in the British press.
Giorgia Meloni “and I have already discussed how to improve joint services, so this is a topic that we will address,” he added. The first of these migrant centers in Albania was supposed to open in early August but was delayed.
At the same time, Giorgia Meloni of Italy signed agreements with Tunisia, providing financial aid in return for increased efforts to reduce the departure of migrants. According to figures from the Italian Interior Ministry, migrants arriving by sea have fallen significantly since the beginning of the year: 44,675 between January 1 and September 13, compared to 125,806 during the same period of 2023. .
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