Giorgia Meloni accused of abandoning her principles as she now says Italy needs migrants

Giorgia Meloni at the International Conference on Development and Migration Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni has backtracked on her anti-immigration stance after admitting that “Europe and Italy need immigration”. The hard-Right Prime Minister who came to power on a pledge to block boats in the Mediterranean has softened her rhetoric in an attempt to build alliances across nations. Heading a summit of more than 20 nations and top EU officials, Meloni laid foundations to support border controls with an aim to better regulate migratory flows. Addressing an audience that included representatives from Tunisia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East, she said everyone was harmed by illegal migration. Reported in the Telegraph, Meloni said: “No one benefits from this except criminal groups who get rich at the expense of the most fragile and use their strength even against the governments.” The Italian PM wants to work more closely with countries of origin to manage migrant flows The Italian Prime Minister wants to work more closely with countries of origin to manage migrant flows and fight criminal traffickers. She admitted she was open to creating more legal routes into her country as “Europe and Italy need immigration”. Earlier this month, Italy pledged to issue 425,000 new work visas for non-EU nationals from 2023 to 2025. Before Covid hit in 2019, Italy issued just 30,850 visas. This has called for criticism from the Right, accusing Ms Meloni of abandoning her principles. Trending SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info