The skirmishing continued on Monday 27 August between the Italian government of Giuseppe Conte and the European Commission. The latter was obliged to defend its action now that the Conte Government has stated that it now intends to bypass the Commission’s coordination of disembarkation operations for migrants rescued at sea.
Despite the fact that the member states’ “Sherpas” meeting on Friday 24 August was unable to reach a practical solution for the 150 migrants on the Diciotti and the aim of the meeting organised by the Commission did not intend to examine this dossier, the Italian authorities explained over the weekend that they had reached a solution with Ireland (this country will take in between 20-25 people), the Italian church and Albania (around 20 people will be taken into care), which will accept some of the people rescued. This solution led Rome to authorise the disembarkation of all passengers in Catania, Sicily, during Saturday night to Sunday.
On Monday 27 August, the spokesperson for migration, Tove Ernst, provided assurances that the Commission had fully coordinated the action of the member states in this area and would continue to do so. Last week, the Commission indicated that it had initiated contact with the member states to reach a solution for this vessel that had been blocked for around 10 days. On Monday morning, the Italian Vice Prime Minister, Luigi Di Maio, however, renewed his threats and promised to use the Italian veto on the budget negotiations and wherever else it would be possible, he explained in an interview, as long as Italy deemed that it had not received sufficient support.
France criticises European action
On Tuesday 28 August, the Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini, will meet the Hungarian Minister, Viktor Orbán, another hard-line advocate on migration. During this period, the member states are expected to continue their meetings and discussions about the action decided by the European Council in the perspective of the Informal Summit in Salzburg on 20 September. The French Minister for European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau, has also been quick to criticise this action in a confidential note addressed to the minister responsible, Jean-Yves le Drian. As indicated by the Express publication, the minister indicated in this note that the solutions decided, particularly those on the debarkation platforms in third countries are "inefficient" because no third country is prepared to host them.
The minister emphasised that the solutions advocated by the European Council in June would be “inefficient” and are found wanting due to “their lack of timetable or method” and that the Austrian Presidency is in danger of “appearing inefficient or indeed dangerous on these subjects”.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, also explained in a speech made on Monday 27 August that, “what is happening in Italy was caused by us”. Nonetheless “this does not excuse the xenophobic discourse, which is not providing any solution”. “The areas suggested to us are not offering any solution”, asserted the President of France, who pointed out the necessity respecting the humanitarian principles of the right of asylum. He also highlighted “immigration policy to be built with Africa to restrict flows and organise returns more efficiently”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic and Mathieu Bion)