Migrants: Piantedosi at the Munich summit – return hubs outside Europe and rapid repatriation
The Minister for the Interior attended the Migrant Summit alongside his counterparts from 18 European countries and Commissioner Magnus Brunner. Among Italy’s proposals were repatriation centres outside the EU, modelled on the Albanian system; measures to combat abuses of the right to asylum; and stricter regulations governing NGOs in the Mediterranean.
Key points
Italia is reviving its stance on the repatriation of irregular migrants within Europe and is focusing on the establishment of return hubs and repatriation centres outside the European Union, using the model developed with Albania as a reference. This is one of the four points put forward by the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, at the Migration Summit currently taking place in Munich.
Piantedosi attended the summit at the invitation of his German counterpart, Alexander Dobrindt, alongside the interior ministers of 18 European countries and Commissioner Magnus Brunner. The Italian Interior Minister’s speech focused on European immigration policy, ranging from border procedures and repatriation to the right to asylum and the management of migration flows in the Mediterranean.
Faster repatriations and border procedures
The first point raised by Piantedosi concerns Italia’s efforts towards the initial implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact and the need, according to the minister, to provide Member States with even more effective tools. The aim is to make accelerated border procedures more effective and to enable the swifter removal of irregular migrants.
A second issue concerns the right to asylum. Piantedosi has called for measures to combat abuses of this right, arguing that it must not be exploited as a means of entering Europe illegally.
Return hubs outside Europe, based on the Albanian model
The Italian proposal then turns to ‘return hubs’ – centres for repatriation to be established outside the European Union. Piantedosi cites these, along with repatriation centres outside Europe modelled on Italia’s arrangement with Albania, as tools capable of acting as a deterrent against illegal departures.
