Italy moves to tighten migration rules

Italy's hard-right government proposed a tightening of migration rules Wednesday, giving ministers the power to ban arrivals by sea during "exceptional" circumstances.

The bill agreed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ministers provides for a temporary ban "on crossing the limit of territorial waters in cases of serious threat to public order or national security", according to the document seen by AFP.

Such a threat could include "exceptional migratory pressure that could compromise the secure management of borders", a "concrete risk" of terrorist acts or infiltration in Italy, global health emergencies and high-level international events.

The ban, which would have to be issued by the cabinet on the advice of the interior ministry, could last from an initial 30 days to a maximum of six months.

If approved by parliament, the bill could also help revive Italy's beleaguered "return hub" migrants centre in Albania, which has failed to take off due to a series of legal challenges.

It states that migrants abroad vessels banned from Italian waters can be taken to countries with which Rome has an agreement on detention or repatriation -- namely Albania.

Meloni, the head of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, was elected in 2022 on a promise to stop the tens of thousands of migrants who land in small boats on Italy's shores each year.

Her government has signed accords with North African countries to limit departures, while also restricting the activities of the charities that operate rescue boats in the Central Mediterranean.

The new law could further hamper the operations of the NGOs, which in reality only rescue a small percentage of people who arrive in Italy, with most rescued by the coastguard or navy.

The proposed bill would also expand the list of convictions for which a foreigner can be expelled from Italy.

It was agreed the day after the European Parliament on Tuesday adopted two flagship texts tightening EU migration policy, which Italy had pushed for.

"Italy's borders are Europe's borders. Defending them is a duty," Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi wrote on X late Wednesday.

Nearly 2,000 people have arrived on migrant boats in Italy so far this year, down from 4,400 in the same period last year, according to government figures.

Yet while Meloni has claimed credit for the shift, experts say many factors affect migrant routes.

Large numbers of migrants continue to die crossing the Central Mediterranean, with nearly 490 people reported missing this year, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM).