In Munich focus migrants. In 2025 Italia will be the first EU country of destination for irregular flows

Among the many topics being discussed at the moment in Munich, where a security conference is taking place with the participation of some fifty heads of state and government (the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also spoke), there is also the issue of migrants. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani chaired, together with UK Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper, the second round table on countering irregular migration after the one organised last year on the margins of the Munich Security Conference. Foreign Ministers and representatives from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and EU High Representative Kaja Kallas attended. Opening the proceedings, Tajani recalled that the fight against irregular immigration is also a priority foreign policy objective, to be tackled with an integrated approach, of which the Mattei Plan is an example, aiming at conflict prevention, management and resolution, as well as economic development in the countries of origin and transit.

The meeting, explains a note from the Farnesina, "provided an important moment of confrontation on the concrete measures that the Foreign Ministers could jointly adopt to fight irregular migration, and on the most effective development cooperation interventions to reduce migration flows. In this context," it goes on to say, "the Rome Process, of which the United Kingdom is also a part, has been enhanced for its role as an inclusive platform, bringing together countries of origin, transit and destination, together with the relevant international organisations, favouring the alignment of priorities and the sharing of responsibilities and project initiatives". The Rome Process is an international cooperation platform launched by Italia in 2023, aimed at managing migration flows in the Mediterranean through the fight against traffickers, development in the countries of origin and the opening of legal pathways, involving more than 20 states across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

In 2025, as in previous years, Italia was confirmed as the first EU country of destination of irregular migration flows (about 66,300 arrivals, -0.5% compared to 2024 and -57% compared to 2023). Arrivals from the Libyan coast accounted for 88% of the total, while those from Tunisia for 7%. Bangladesh remained the top nationality for arrivals (+41%), while arrivals from the Horn of Africa (Eritrea +251%, Ethiopia +71%), Egypt (+108%) and Sudan (+95%) also grew. In the EU as a whole, irregular arrivals in 2025 decreased by 26%.