With a new measure, the Meloni government overruled the previous decision of the courts that obstructed its anti-migration measures.

At its meeting on Monday evening, the Roman government defined the list of countries considered safe with a legally binding decree. With the measure, the Meloni government overruled the previous decision of the courts on the release of migrants placed in Albanian camps.

The government decree concerning the regulation of migration and the asylum application procedure determined which countries of origin are considered safe.

Until now, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior had imposed the same, but the ministerial provisions were not sufficient according to the interpretation of the Italian courts.

The government has now responded with a legal decree to the disputes that have arisen in recent days, which affected the reception centers established in Albania.

The first group, twelve people, placed in the camps opened on October 11, were transported back to Italy after the competent Roman court did not allow their detention.

They were men from Egypt and Bangladesh, and the court ruled that neither Egypt nor Bangladesh are considered safe countries, so they are considered asylum seekers, so once they submit their asylum application, they can move freely in Italy.

According to the judge's decision, EU legislation overrides the decision of the national ministry in such cases.

According to a decision of the European Court of Justice, it is not possible to declare only a part of a country outside the EU as safe.

At the press conference following the government meeting, the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, said that instead of the 22 countries originally on the list, 19 remained in the decree. Cameroon, Colombia and Nigeria were removed from the list of safe countries, according to the EU resolution.

Piantedosi emphasized that Italy is playing a "pioneering" role, as it respects European regulations on the one hand, and anticipates the Migration and Asylum Pact that will enter into force from June 2026, which will modify the definition of the countries' security.

The Minister of the Interior believed that the "unrestricted and ideologically based admission policy" of the previous governments should be ended.

In response to a journalist's question, he noted that the maintenance of the camps in Albania costs nothing more than the supply, transport, and accommodation of immigrants in Italy, which costs the Ministry of the Interior 1.7 billion euros per year.

According to Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, the Italian courts simply misinterpreted EU legislation.

Antonio Mantovano, the secretary of state in charge of the prime minister's office, expressed hope that the decree would put an end to the disputes and that the camps in Albania would be able to continue their operations with the transfer of the next group. He explained that currently Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Morocco, Montenegro, Peru, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia is considered safe.

The list is reviewed by the government every six months.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday that her government is committed to protecting the borders, "It is only possible to enter Italy legally". He called the fight against human traffickers a priority.

MTI

Photo: Giorgia Meloni Facebook