Musumeci: “New workforce needed. We need an access route for economic migrants”

Nello Musumeci has a double role when he talks about migrations. The political one, as Minister for Civil Protection and Marine Policies, and therefore representative of the government, and that of Sicilian, former president of the Sicily region from 2017 to 2022. And on the migration issue he gives some straight coordinates: we need manpower. Therefore “yes” to economic migrants (as far as is sustainable by the state). But humanitarian corridors are not enough: you need to create a regular migration structured channel. And, probably, the intention of the premier Giorgia Meloni in the CDM of Cutro on Thursday will be to launch a provision that brings together this last point – that is a different regulation of the flows of regular arrivals – and the tightening of the measures against smugglers.

“Confindustria spoke of 300,000 empty seats,” he says Press Nello Musumeci, “Faced with the growing Italian birth rate, a new workforce becomes necessary”, he adds. And therefore, is there talk of a new flow decree that could expand the already established number – it will be 82,700 – of foreign workers who from 27 March will be able to apply to work in Italy? On this there is not yet a declared assent. But the Minister of the Sea is starting to indicate the way for future moves: “First of all, dismantle the smugglers’ mafia organizations in the countries of departure and amend the Dublin treaty”. Then, “in the countries of departure”, proceed with the verification of asylum requests (even if this plan reveals particular criticalities depending on the countries with which agreements are sought). And again, regulating the arrival of migrants as “an ordinary fact” – and not “with emergency solutions” -, therefore with the help of rules, “in safety, and continuing with a gradual process of integration”.

According to the minister, the “access process that could be started for economic migrants” should also be gradual (“Even our grandparents were”, adds Musumeci). While his last jokes are for Interior Minister Piantedosi, and for the indignation that was raised against him after the shipwreck of Cutro. “He is a good prefect, he may not even be a good communicator”, says Musumeci and continues, clarifying: “he is an excellent technician, in short, politics inevitably has a broader and more articulated form“.