In a letter to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her “astonishment” at learning of a German government effort to fund migrant aid organizations operating in the Mediterranean.
While the right-wing Meloni is taking a tough stance against illegal immigration, this year has witnessed a significant increase in migrant arrivals in Italy, with 133,000 arriving so far compared to 69,800 during the same period in 2022.
A senior member of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, who also criticized the German government for backing the charity in an interview on Sunday, prompted Meloni’s letter, dated September 23.
“I have learned with astonishment that your administration has allegedly decided to support with substantial funds non-governmental organizations engaged in the reception of irregular migrants on Italian territory and in rescues in the Mediterranean Sea,” Meloni wrote in a letter to Scholz that Reuters obtained.
A spokesman for the German foreign ministry announced on Friday that Berlin has finished reviewing two proposals as part of a legislative financial support program for initiatives on land and for civilian marine rescue.
The government added that saving lives at sea is a “legal, humanitarian, and moral duty.”
To discourage migrants from making the perilous sea journey from North Africa, Meloni approved additional measures last week to extend the time migrants might be kept and expand the number of detention facilities.
Additionally, her administration decreed that migrants would have to pay to avoid being detained while their asylum applications are being reviewed.
In her letter to Scholz, Meloni stated, “I think that the efforts, especially financial, of EU states interested in offering meaningful help to Italy should instead focus on establishing structural solutions to the migrant crisis.
She said that the presence of charity boats at sea might encourage migrant treks that frequently end in disasters and fatalities and that Germany, which is governed by a center-left coalition, should instead focus on helping refugees on its territory.
Charitable organizations dispute that rescue boats serve as a “pull factor” to entice refugees to Europe.
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