Why do landings and borders create tensions between Italy and France? – Corriere.it

1 – Where does the contrast between France and Italy come from?

The node linked to the management of the border between the two countries. The French government complains that it is being affected by the increase in landings recorded in Italy. At the end of last April, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced the dispatch of 150 additional policemen to Ventimiglia and in general to the Maritime Alps border to deal with the increase in migratory pressure at the Italian borders. For weeks, even the major French newspapers have been reporting an alarm over the increase in landings of migrants from North Africa, driven by the crisis in Tunisia.

2 – The increase in arrivals in Italy: what are the numbers of the Interior Ministry?

The report by the Ministry of the Interior, which reports data on landings updated every day, shows a significant increase in landings on the Italian coast: almost four times as much as a year ago. Between January 1 and May 4, 2021 there were 10,616. In the same period of 2022, there were 11,226 registered arrivals. In the last 4 months, the Viminale dashboard records 42,405 arrivals.

3 – What were the reasons for the previous diplomatic incidents between Italy and France?

Back in October, a few weeks after the political elections in Italy, Laurence Boone, French minister for European affairs, commenting on Giorgia Meloni’s victory, had declared: We want to work with Rome, but we will carefully monitor compliance with the values ​​and rules of the state by right. Statements that provoked the position taken by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella: Italy knows how to fend for itself, in compliance with its Constitution and the values ​​of the European Union. French President Macron replied, declaring that he has full confidence in Mattarella. Another serious clash between Italy and France, a month later, concerned the management of the 230 migrants rescued at sea by the Humanity 1 ship of the NGO Ocean Viking. The Italian government did not authorize the landing: it asked that the docking take place in the nearby port of Toulon. The Minister of the Interior, Grald Darmanin, spoke of behavior not as a responsible European state. So for humanitarian reasons and quite exceptionally, France granted the disembarkation of the migrants but announced the suspension of the relocation of 3,500 refugees.

4 – What do the European rules on relocation say?

The agreement approved by the European Council in June 2022 establishes a principle of solidarity on the basis of which some countries (12 of which had signed up to the agreement) undertake to relocate – that is, host and examine asylum requests, derogating from the principle that procedure is up to the country of destination — a part of the refugees who arrive on the coasts of Italy, Greece, Spain, Malta and Cyprus every year. Based on data on arrivals in 2022, the number of relocations from Italy was 3,500 migrants.

5 – What rule governs the process for applying for asylum?

The Dublin Regulation establishes that each application for asylum (or international protection) is examined by a single Member State and that responsibility falls primarily on the State that has played the greatest role in relation to the applicant’s entry and stay. With exceptions, the State competent to examine the application will then also be the one in which the interested party will have to reside once protection has been obtained.

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