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    Meloni’s playbook on immigration a success, Starmer to follow?

    European Newsdesk Posted on

    Keir Starmer has traveled to Rome for bilateral talks on immigration with Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Facing pressure to address irregular migration across the Channel from France, the UK Labour leader is keen to study how Meloni’s hard-right government has reduced the number of people crossing the Mediterranean in dinghies.

    In September 2023, Lampedusa saw a surge in arrivals, with over 11,000 migrants—mainly from Tunisia—landing on the small island in just one week. Meloni was instrumental in securing a July 2023 deal between the EU and Tunisia, providing millions of euros to the North African country to prevent migrant boats from departing and to invest in local businesses and education as a deterrent to migration.

    Initially, this policy had little impact, but alongside a 2017 agreement to train and equip the Libyan coastguard to stop departures, it is now credited with reducing migrant inflows. This year, Meloni traveled to Tunisia and Libya to press leaders to further enforce these agreements and curtail migration more effectively.

    Italy also struck a deal with Albania, aiming to transfer men arriving from North Africa to Albanian centers for asylum processing. However, the plan—expected to cost Italy €670m over five years—has yet to show concrete results.

    Additionally, the Meloni government has implemented strict regulations against charity ships in the Mediterranean, imposing heavy fines on captains who conduct multiple rescues at a time.

    During Meloni’s first year in office, the number of people arriving by boat surged, with 125,806 arrivals in 2023—nearly double the total from 2022. However, this year, the number has dropped significantly to 44,465, according to Italy’s interior ministry.

    Meloni attributes this reduction to deals with Tunisia and Libya. Despite this progress, Meloni has faced challenges in keeping her election promise to curb irregular migration. She passed measures extending detention periods in deportation centers to 18 months and authorized the construction of new facilities.

    Humanitarian organizations have long criticized Italy’s approach. The deal with Libya, which returns migrants to detention centers where they face torture and abuse, has drawn widespread condemnation. Tunisia’s involvement has raised similar concerns.

    Despite these policies, people continue to attempt the dangerous Mediterranean crossing, with many losing their lives. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that over 1,400 migrants have died or gone missing in the central Mediterranean since January. In June, at least 11 people died in two shipwrecks near Italy.

    While Starmer may explore Italy’s strategies, applying them to the UK context is more complicated. Italy can provide financial aid and assistance to Tunisia and Libya to reduce inflows, but the UK’s migrants arrive from France, making this approach impractical for London.

    Starmer’s visit highlights the sensitivity of the immigration issue, as the Labour leader faces a decline in popularity.

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