Italian PM vows to secure borders and approves bill allowing naval blockades

"Italy's prime minister says her government will deploy every tool at its disposal to guarantee the security of our borders after approving a bill authorising naval blockades to stop boats from arriving in Italy during periods of exceptional pressure. The bill is the latest step in the crackdown on irregular immigration by Giorgia Meloni's far-right government, which has included tough measures against charity rescue ships, harsher jail terms for human smugglers and schemes aimed at swiftly repatriating people."

"Under the legislation, which needs to be approved by both houses of parliament, Italian authorities would have the power to ban boats from entering the country's territorial waters for up to 30 days, extendable by up to six months, in situations of serious threats to public order or national security, such as terrorism. The measure, which comes after hundreds of people are feared to have died while crossing the Mediterranean from north Africa during a recent powerful storm, also empowers authorities to impose the blockade during periods of dramatic increases in boat arrivals."

"Those breaching the rules face fines of up to 50,000 (43,500) and could have their boats confiscated in case of repeated violations a measure targeted at the rescue ships. In such cases, the passengers on board could be transported to countries other than their country of origin that Italy has specific repatriation agreements with."

The government approved a bill authorising naval blockades to stop boats arriving during periods of exceptional pressure and pledged to use every tool to guarantee border security. The legislation would let authorities ban entry to territorial waters for up to 30 days, extendable by six months, for serious threats to public order or national security or during dramatic increases in arrivals. The measure follows deadly Mediterranean crossings during a recent storm. Penalties include fines up to 50,000 euros and possible confiscation of boats; passengers may be moved to third countries with repatriation agreements, and deportation and expulsion procedures would be accelerated and widened.

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