Migrants, the European Parliament approves the new Pact. The Democratic Party breaks away from the left –

The European Parliament has given its final green light to the Pact for Migration and Asylum. A maxi-package – of nine legislative measures – which required years of negotiations and which led groups and majorities to split right up to the end. The delegation of Fratelli d’Italia (in dissent from the rest of the ECR conservative group) and Forza Italia spoke in favor of the Pact – or at least a good part of it. However, the League, the Democratic Party (also in this case in dissent from the Group to which it belongs, S&D) and the 5 Star Movement were once morest.

The majority rejoices. For the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, “it is a historic day”. For the president of the European Chamber, Roberta Metsola, “no state will be left alone once more”. However, for the Democratic Party and the M5s, but also for the League, “the outcome of the Pact is detrimental to Italy”. In particular, the Democratic Party criticizes several elements of the package: «The new Eurodac regulation introduces the obligation of biometric data starting from the age of 6, registering the people who arrive as if they were criminals. With the screening regulation, the detention of those who arrive becomes practically a rule and with the introduction of the concept of ‘non-entry fiction’ anyone who arrives will not be considered legally in the territory of the Member State and in the EU, therefore, will have to remain at the disposal of the authorities ; in the procedures regulation, the normalization of special procedures at the border is also foreseen for unaccompanied minors and for those rescued at sea, reversing a legal principle that limited this procedure to very few cases to guarantee the right to request asylum and l ‘examination of people’s personal stories’. And once more: «the introduction of the concept of ‘safe third country’ closes the doors to any examination of the merits of requests for thousands of people. Finally, the Crisis regulation introduces the concept of exploitation which creates an exception to the general migration and asylum management system, also indirectly affecting NGOs with clear risks of repercussions for the criminalization of solidarity”.

For the League, “the new Pact will not stop the landings” while the M5s accuses the League of having disavowed its own minister, Matteo Piantedosi, who had expressed himself in favor of the Pact at the EU Council. For Nicola Procaccini, co-president of the ECR and MEP of Fratelli d’Italia, «it is a step in the direction of saving lives but at the same time also of immigration control and the selection of those who have the right or not to asylum . In the next legislature we hope to complete this process which has only just begun.” Hungary has already made it clear that it will not change its migration policies. «This Pact is a green light for irregular immigration», thundered the Foreign Minister, Pèter Szijjàrtò.