Migrations, a proposal to enhance them and get out of the logic of the emergency that has dominated public debate for years

ROME – A few days after the umpteenth tragedy of the sea, “LINK2007 – Network cooperation”, the consortium of large Italian NGOs, renews its commitment to dialogue by presenting the document “Governance of immigration and cooperation with countries of origin”, which intends to lay the foundations for a new approach to migration policies and the management of refugees and asylum seekers.

Migration as a structural phenomenon. Not considering migration a structural phenomenon, which as such requires to be governed with systemic and coordinated strategies, would mean perpetuating a serious mistake. It is therefore necessary to move from the Viminale policy to the Palazzo Chigi policy, abandoning the current approach focused on security and containment. To embrace a broader vision it is first necessary to fill the many gaps and distortions of the dominant narrative. Starting with the spotlight turned almost exclusively on the rescues of NGOs in the central Mediterranean, which in the last five years have been involved in only 12-14 percent of the total landings. Equally unavoidable is a revision of the legislation, which for over twenty years has been based on the Bossi-Fini law, today even more inadequate to provide answers in a rapidly changing world.

UN and European Union. However, supranational institutions are often relegated to the margins, while they could favor a global governance of migrations provided they receive the necessary delegations of competences from the nation states. In this sense, the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, and the Global Compact on Refugees, approved in 2018 by the Assembly of the Glass Palace, are of great importance, providing useful models to Governments for elaborating of coordinated policies.

European politics. At European level it is essential to change the rules. To govern the phenomenon, clear rules are needed that define entries on the basis of the socio-economic indicators of the individual countries. Only in this way is it possible to transform the needs of destination countries into opportunities for newcomers, ensuring regular entry and stay. The much-desired European pact on migration has never seen the light, while the reform of the Dublin agreements on asylum seekers is not currently on the agenda. The latter will require time and negotiations, but in the meantime Italy can adopt a reception system for refugees and asylum seekers spread throughout the peninsula, with small numbers for each region and province, so as to strengthen the link between territory, reception and inclusion.

How to change migration policies. There are many actions that can contribute to changing the global picture of migration: from ensuring the poorest countries 0.70 percent of the gross national income promised by OECD (Italy is still within 0.25 per cent), to readmission and repatriation agreements signed with a view to true cooperation; from the granting of citizenship to the new generations of immigrants inserted in our social fabric, to the fight against traffickers in Libya and elsewhere.

The African population. In 2050, Africa’s population will double to about 2.3 billion people, with a probable pool of 750 million people of working age. At the same time, Italy’s population is projected to decrease by 15 million. We must now see the opportunities for these developments: Africa needs Europe and Europe needs Africa. The link between migration and development is strong and requires a reflection on common interests and the sharing of values.

The debt. The debt issue of African countries should be reviewed, evaluating the opportunity to convert it into investments in local currency for the creation of wealth and new jobs. Investments to be integrated also with the role of the private sector, encouraged through a Africa fund ad hoc.

Valuing migration. Contrary to what the common vulgate affirms, the majority of migrants do not come from countries in conditions of extreme poverty, but have the minimum resources and education necessary to be able to imagine and implement emigration. Many of them are educated and speak multiple languages. Many show marked entrepreneurial initiative, investing both in Italy and in their countries of origin. Their transnationalism – that is, the fact of being integrated, while maintaining close ties with the communities of origin – can favor co-development initiatives at a territorial level, involving immigrant communities and public administrations in Italy and in the territories of origin.