The Commission of the African Union (AU), the European Commission's twin institution, has expressed its "dismay at the comments made by the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Matteo Salvini, at a recent conference in Vienna at which he likened African immigrants to slaves".
These are the terms of a press release published on 18 September, ahead of the informal European summit in Salzburg largely dedicated to migration (see EUROPE 12098) and just a few days after European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's announcement of a new Africa-Europe Alliance for sustainable jobs and investment (see EUROPE 12096, 12094).
Call for constructive dialogue on migration. Stating that between 1861 and 1976 "approximately, one Italian out of four emigrated", and that "Italy has benefited greatly from its huge diaspora through remittances and trade", the AU Commission says that "the current ‘migration crisis’ in Europe provides an opportunity for Africa and Europe to engage in a dialogue that not only focuses on migration issues, but also on the broader development cooperation between the two continents", as part of the debate on Africa's socio-economic development.
The AU Commission thus invites Salvini to retract his comments "in the interest of constructive engagement in the debate on migration" between the two continents.
In response to press, which asked if Salvini's comments threatened the Africa-Europe partnership, the European Commission's spokesperson for migration, Natasha Bertaud, refused to make any comment on Wednesday 19 September as regards the comments of a minister. Referring to Juncker's State of the Union speech, she said: "our position is clear. We want a partnership on an equal footing". (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)