«Italy respects international law»- Corriere.it

«It is not up to us to look specifically at the content of this decree. Obviously we are in contact with the Italian authorities and this month we will have a meeting of the SAR contact group, search and rescue. Regardless of what Italy is doing by decree or specific law, the authorities must respect international law and the law of the sea». She stated it European Commission spokesperson on migration, Anitta Hipper, answering a question on the new decree for NGOs operating at sea approved by the Italian Government.

“Our rules for applying for asylum are clear: all third-country nationals must be able to apply for asylum, even when they are in territorial waters,” he explained. The spokesperson also reiterated the principle according to which «srescuing people in distress at sea is a moral obligation and a legal dutyregardless of the situations that led them to find themselves in that condition of difficulty».

In the same hours in which this underlining arrived from Brussels, the NGOs operating in the Mediterranean signed a document in which they reiterate their opposition to the regulation passed by the Meloni government: «We express our deepest concern for the latest attempt by a European government to hinder assistance to people in distress at sea». This is what the NGOs involved in sea rescue activities write in a joint document, adding that «the new decree law, signed by the Italian President on 2 January 2023, will reduce the rescue capacities at sea and it will make the central Mediterranean even more dangerousone of the deadliest migration routes in the world.

(article being updated)