The Italian government has declared a six-month national state of emergency to deal with the influx of illegal migrants, which has increased by more than 55% in 2022.
A press release from the Prime Minister specifies in this regard that the state of emergency will make it possible to “implement, as soon as possible, exceptional measures to reduce the influx of illegal migrants, in particular in the island of Lampedusa, in the south of the country”.
The Executive also provides for new structures, suitable both for the reception, treatment and repatriation of migrants who do not meet the conditions required to stay in Italy. Over 3,000 migrants have been rescued at sea by the Italian coast guard over the past three days, confirming the upward trend in arrivals to the peninsula.
More than 105,130 irregular migrants arrived in Italy the previous year through the Mediterranean sea routes in the wake of 2,539 landings, registering a “significant” increase of 55.80% compared to 2021, according to data from the police. Italian state.
Irregular migratory pressure by sea, which decreased steadily from 2017 to 2019, reversed the trend from 2020 to 2022, registering a significant increase, state police pointed out in a recently published report, noting that the peak of arrivals was recorded in August, when 16,816 migrants arrived, with an average of 542.45 disembarked per day.
In addition, 4,676,719 foreigners are legally settled in Italy, say the Italian authorities, adding that 1,570,183 residence permits were issued in 2022, an increase of 11% compared to 2021.
Special quotas, simplified entry procedures and accelerated settlement procedures… Italy is diversifying and strengthening its legal migration channels. Shaken by the sinking of a boat, having claimed the lives of 76 migrants off the Calabrian coast, Rome is extending the regular access routes. Enough to try to ”avoid the tragedies” which follow one another in the Mediterranean. But also to meet the demographic and economic needs of the peninsula, in the midst of recovery and reform.
The Italian Council of Ministers has also approved a new decree increasing the penalties for smugglers and creating a new crime punishable by thirty years in prison for those traffickers whose operations have resulted in the death or injury of their victims.
The executive has also reintroduced, in an adapted version, the code of conduct for humanitarian ships, prepared and adopted in 2017 by the center-left government. This new “charter” requires ambulance ships to intervene only when there is an actual danger for migrants. In addition, humanitarian boats will have to demonstrate that they have rescued boats that were in danger of sinking in order to be able to dock in an Italian port.