7/23/2023 4:43 pm (act. 7/23/2023 4:43 pm)
Mediterranean Countries Migration Conference in Rome ©APA/AFP
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday called for a “dialogue of equals” on migration and development, based on common interests between Europe and Mediterranean countries. “What we are opening today is above all a dialogue between equals, based on mutual respect,” Meloni said at the opening of the international conference in Rome dedicated to illegal migration and growth.
“There can be no competitive or conflicting relationship between Europe and the wider Mediterranean, because in reality the interests are much more convergent than we ourselves imagine. Italy and Europe need immigration, but we cannot give the signal that those who enter illegally will be rewarded”, said Meloni.
“Illegal mass migration harms everyone except criminal organizations that use their power to gamble on the lives of the most vulnerable,” said the Italian Prime Minister. She called for “joint efforts and more cooperation in the fight against the network of human traffickers”. In combating migration, the partnership with the countries of origin must be “equal, multidimensional and long term”, Meloni said.
Before the conference, the Italian prime minister met with the president of Tunisia, Kais Saied. He called for the establishment of a new international monetary fund “to lay the foundations of a new humane system that offers hope and prosperity for all”.
In view of the growing number of migrants and their dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean, the EU and Tunisia have decided to cooperate even more closely in this matter. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Meloni and Saied announced the signing of a corresponding declaration of intent last Sunday in Tunis.
“We must act against human traffickers, destroy their cynical business model. Opening up new legal routes between our continents can create a real and safe alternative to dangerous sea travel,” von der Leyen said in Rome. “We must join forces to crush the criminals’ cruel and illegal business model and educate people about the lies spread by people smugglers,” said the head of the European Commission.
“We want our agreement with Tunisia to become a model, a project for the future, of partnerships with other countries in the region. We want a pragmatic approach, based on common interests and values. We want to find solutions tailored to local realities”, added the German politician.
Von der Leyen sees great opportunities in cooperation with North Africa in the production of green energy. “The whole region has natural resources like sun and wind in abundance and has huge and wide landscapes,” she said, according to the dpa. Generating clean electricity costs at least ten cents per kilowatt hour in the EU, but in Tunisia the cost can be as little as two cents. The country thus has a huge competitive advantage.
Participants at the migration conference in Rome include Tunisia, Turkey, Libya, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the European Union and the IMF. Meloni, who has led a right-wing coalition since October, has so far failed in his efforts to stem the rise in migrants. Around 83,400 people have disembarked so far this year, compared to nearly 34,000 in 2022.