Italian Gov't Makes the Only Realistic Solution to Migrants' Waves - Author

Sputnik: In your opinion, how likely is Italy’s government new degree on migrants to receive support from the country’s parliament?

Giulio Meotti: Yes, the decree will be approved, but only after a hard discussion in the House of Parliament between the two main parties of the governmental coalition, the League and the Five Stars Movement. The decree is also very popular. Matteo Salvini's public approval (Italy's minister of Interior) is dramatically growing on security issues. The League's leader now has the 30 percent of voting intentions. More than 600.000 migrants came here in just 5 years. That is the single most important political topic at the moment.

Sputnik: How effective will that bill be for ‘making Italy safer'?

Giulio Meotti: On the immigration front, the decree provides the doubling of retention times in the Centers for Repatriation: from 90 to 180 days in the hope that this can increase the charter flights to countries of origin of illegal immigrants. There is the repeal of "residence permits" for humanitarian reasons replaced with permits for civil merit or for medical treatment or if the country of origin is under a natural disaster.

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It also provides the extension of the offenses that cause the revocation of the refugee's permission (sexual violence, drug dealing, violence to a public official); the revocation of humanitarian protection to so-called 'vacation refugees'. There is also the withdrawal of citizenship for the foreigners considered a threat to national security. There is the experimentation of electric impulse weapons (taser) by the municipal police. Yes, the decree will reinforce Italy's security, but only if it will be really implemented. That is not granted in Italy.

Sputnik: In your view, does this decree resolve the migration problem for Italy?

Giulio Meotti: It depends if more migrants will flow from Libya to Italy. By now, the number of arrivals in the last 4 months have been dramatically reduced. Now most of migrants are using the Spanish route. Italy is alone in fighting this battle, since Europe's hypocrisy turned us into the natural and abandoned spot for arrivals. Everybody in the UE was happy that Italy had to deal all this alone. The government is now trying to enforce and close the borders, the only realistic solution to these migrants' waves.

Sputnik: What role did Italy had to play in the decision to deflag the Diciotti ship from its Panama maritime flag?

Giulio Meotti: Mr. Salvini kept that boat in the port for a week before letting the migrants landing. The psychological effect has been severe. Deterrence plays a decisive role in the immigration.

The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.