On September 26, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome on plans to respond to the migration problem and promote economic priorities.
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| French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on September 26. (Source: AFP) |
The French leader has arrived in Rome to attend the state funeral of former President Giorgio Napolitano, who died on September 22 at the age of 98.
The Italian Prime Minister's Office said that after the funeral, the two leaders had a "long and friendly meeting". The two sides discussed solutions to the migration problem and Europe's economic priorities ahead of upcoming European summits. For its part, the Elysee Palace confirmed that the two sides discussed plans to solve migration and economic issues.
The two leaders last met in Paris in June and are both scheduled to attend the "Med 9" summit of southern European Union countries in Malta on September 29.
The two governments have taken similar approaches to migration. Since taking office in October 2022, Prime Minister Meloni’s government has restricted the activities of charity rescue ships and pledged to crack down on human traffickers. Italy has also sought to speed up the repatriation of those who do not qualify for asylum.
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has declared that the country will not welcome any migrants from Lampedusa, after 8,500 people landed on the island in three days.
Migration has been a contentious issue in the bloc since 2015, when the EU was hit by a wave of refugees from Africa and the Middle East. Several countries, including Hungary and Poland, have strongly objected to Brussels forcing them to take in and house migrants.
Moreover, the migration crisis is one of the key factors pushing Britain to leave the EU, contributing to deepening conflicts and dividing regional solidarity.
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