The flaring migration crisis is reportedly prompting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to shelve their differences. A new bilateral agreement between the two countries is being touted as a way to tackle the challenge, according to media reports.
Scholz, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and Meloni, who heads the governing Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party, known for its nationalist stance and anti-immigration policies, previously traded barbs over migration policy. Ahead of the European Union summit in Granada, Spain, in October, Meloni had railed against Berlin's plans to finance two migrant NGOs operating in Italy, and suggested that rescued arrivals in the Mediterranean be taken to Germany.
However, shared troubles sometimes make for odd bedfellows. Therefore, the two leaders are preparing to sign the new treaty in Berlin on November 22, sources were cited as saying. The said deal will ostensibly be penned as Meloni and her entourage visit Germany for high-level talks.
The wording of the agreement is believed to be still a work in progress. However, as per insiders, Germany and Italy may pledge close cooperation on reducing new migrant arrivals utilizing a ‘multi-pronged approach.’
Germany and Italy are in the same boat, so to say, when it comes to migration challenges.
Arrivals in Germany have surged dramatically, with Scholz ineffectively trying to bring down the number of asylum seekers for months. Over three million refugees, including Ukrainians, are currently living in the country, with many of the overwhelmed municipalities railing against the burdens they face. And yet, Germany is predicted to accept ever more migrants, far surpassing the numbers witnessed back in 2015.
Italy, whose island of Lampedusa has been hard-hit by the crisis, is also set to receive the biggest number of migrants since 2016.
Italy, which has been seeking a solidarity approach from the EU in solving the migration problem, blamed the flow of undocumented immigrants on the ships of various NGOs, including German ones, involved in rescuing refugees in the sea straits closest to Italy.
Besides announcing "extraordinary measures" to deal with an influx of migrants in October, Italy is currently building two new asylum-processing centers on Albanian territory: at the port of Shengjin and the Gjader area in the country's northwest. Italy, which is covering the project's costs, hopes the centers will host around 3,000 people once they open in 2024. Olaf Scholz commented recently that he was looking into Italy's mechanism.
It should be noted that many migrants arriving in Italy often proceed to travel further on to Germany. The German Interior Ministry paused acceptance of new migrants who arrived in Europe via Italy in September, citing "high migrant pressure," but then backtracked.
After Scholz met with Meloni on the sidelines of the EU summit, he was cited as saying:
“I think we will succeed in ensuring in a very practical way that we do not work against each other, but with each other.”