Statement by President Meloni on EU list of safe countries of origin

It is with great satisfaction that I welcome the proposed EU list of safe countries of origin presented by the European Commission, which also includes, among others, Bangladesh, Egypt and Tunisia.

I consider the proposal to bring forward the entry into force of some elements of the Pact on Migration and Asylum equally as positive, particularly the possibility to designate safe countries of origin with exceptions for certain regions and certain categories of individuals, and to apply the 20% threshold. These are in fact cases that allow accelerated border procedures to be activated for migrants arriving from certain nations, as provided for by the Italy-Albania Protocol.

This is further confirmation that the direction charted by the Italian Government over these years is the right one, and of the support of an increasing number of European nations. Italy has played a decisive role in changing Europe’s approach to managing migration flows, and is continuing to do so. Europe now also sees defending external borders, fighting mass irregular migration, strengthening returns policies and implementing equal partnerships with countries of origin and of transit as a priority, and this is largely thanks to Italy’s determination and tenacity. The facts show that we were right and that we are on the right track.