Italy's Meloni eyes anti-migration alliance, launches 'Rome Process'
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More than 20 nations agree to make financing available to assist development initiatives in what Meloni described as a "Rome Process" lasting for several years.
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Italian PM Giorgia Meloni during a working session on food and energy security during the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua Bali Indonesia on November 15, 2022. (AP)
Nations from the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa agreed on Sunday to take efforts to limit illegal migration and address some of the factors that drive people to flee their homes and seek to reach Europe.
Italy hosted a number of country leaders in Rome on Sunday in order to extend an EU-backed agreement with Tunisia to reduce the number of migrants arriving at European coasts.
Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, launched the negotiations shortly after 1100 GMT, and she was scheduled to hold a press conference after 1700 GMT.
When presidents and ministers got ready for the talks, Pope Francis urged them to assist the many individuals who attempt to enter Europe each year in pursuit of a better life as they escape war and poverty.
Participants from more than 20 countries agreed to make funding available to support development projects in what Meloni said would be a "Rome Process" that would last for several years.
The PM welcomed a pledge by the United Arab Emirates to provide $100 million and expressed that the next step would be a donor conference.
Meloni expressed that the Italian government was open to accepting more legal immigrants as "Europe and Italy needed immigration," claiming that "halting the people-trafficking networks is an objective we all share."
Speaking during the conference, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen stated that "we want our agreement with Tunisia to be a template. A blueprint for the future. For partnerships with other countries in the region."
While speaking to crowds on Sunday, the Pope urged European and African governments to aid migrants trapped in areas like North Africa and ensure the Mediterranean never be a "theatre of death" for those crossing.
The amount of undocumented migrants arriving on Italy's far southern island of Lampedusa is allegedly straining the country, although an elderly and shrinking population needs a new labor force to maintain its economy.
Italy vowed earlier this month to award 452,000 additional work visas for non-EU foreigners between 2023 and 2025, raising the number of licenses available each year to a peak of 165,000 in 2025. Prior to the implementation of COVID, Italy issued just 30,850 visas in 2019.
Far-right Meloni promised to "stop the disembarkation" of migrants in Italy during the election campaign in 2022 that put her in office. According to the government, there have been up to 80,000 coastal arrivals since January, up from 33,000 during the same period last year.
Last week, Tunisia and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding for a "strategic and comprehensive partnership," touching on migration, economic development, and renewable energy.
