**Scholz and Meloni Seek Agreement to Tackle Migration**
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni want to work together to tackle the migration crisis with a new bilateral agreement, despite their contrasting political backgrounds.
Scholz, a Social Democrat, and Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, traded barbs over migration policy ahead of last month’s European Union summit in Granada, Spain. Meloni demanded that German NGOs rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean take them to Germany.
The two leaders are now preparing to sign a friendship treaty in Berlin on Nov. 22, people familiar with the issue said on condition of anonymity. Scholz will welcome Meloni with several senior ministers for a joint cabinet meeting and high-level talks. Berlin traditionally reserves the gathering’s format to close allies.
The friendship treaty underscores their determination to put differences aside and pursue practical solutions even though they have contrasting political backgrounds, the people said.
Ahead of the EU summit, Meloni complained that German NGOs were rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean and then bringing them to ports in Italy. Scholz pushed back and underlined that within the EU, Germany was doing a lot to take in migrants despite not having an external border.
Both leaders are under pressure on migration. Italy is on track this year to receive the biggest number of migrants since 2016 while arrivals in Germany have also jumped dramatically. This has driven public support for the anti-immigrant AfD which has overtaken Scholz’s Social Democrats in the polls.
Many migrants who arrive in Italy or Greece travel on to countries further north, often to Germany. Scholz has said that roughly 80% of the migrants currently arriving in Germany did not ask for asylum in the EU country where they first arrived.
Germany and Italy are still putting the finishing touches to the exact wording of the agreement. They are likely to pledge close cooperation on reducing new migrant arrivals with a multi-pronged approach, the people said.
Albanian Centers
Italy is building two asylum processing centers on Albanian territory and Scholz said Saturday that he’s carefully examining the mechanism.
Scholz’s comments signaled a tougher approach after his ruling coalition and state premiers agreed on a package of measures aimed at speeding up deportation of rejected asylum seekers and improving the integration of those allowed to stay in Germany.
After meeting Meloni for a one—on-one conversation last month on the sidelines of the EU summit, Scholz described the encounter as an intensive discussion driven by the desire to reach pragmatic results.
“I think we will succeed in ensuring in a very practical way that we do not work against each other, but with each other,” Scholz said.
Scholz pointed out that both governments over the past months had worked closely together to enable and ensure a broader EU agreement among interior ministers on joint asylum and deportation rules.
The last time Germany and Italy held high-level talks with a joint cabinet meeting was in 2016 when former premier Matteo Renzi welcomed then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in Maranello in northern Italy.
So, uhm, we are really getting back together?
We, uhm, need to talk about foreigners.
But not like last time.
Talk, but in a different way.
I’m gonna guess the “solution” will be the mandatory relocation to other EU countries who never invited these people in the first place unlike Germany and others. Instead, you know, securing the border for example (gasp!).
3 comments
**Scholz and Meloni Seek Agreement to Tackle Migration**
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni want to work together to tackle the migration crisis with a new bilateral agreement, despite their contrasting political backgrounds.
Scholz, a Social Democrat, and Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, traded barbs over migration policy ahead of last month’s European Union summit in Granada, Spain. Meloni demanded that German NGOs rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean take them to Germany.
The two leaders are now preparing to sign a friendship treaty in Berlin on Nov. 22, people familiar with the issue said on condition of anonymity. Scholz will welcome Meloni with several senior ministers for a joint cabinet meeting and high-level talks. Berlin traditionally reserves the gathering’s format to close allies.
The friendship treaty underscores their determination to put differences aside and pursue practical solutions even though they have contrasting political backgrounds, the people said.
Ahead of the EU summit, Meloni complained that German NGOs were rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean and then bringing them to ports in Italy. Scholz pushed back and underlined that within the EU, Germany was doing a lot to take in migrants despite not having an external border.
Both leaders are under pressure on migration. Italy is on track this year to receive the biggest number of migrants since 2016 while arrivals in Germany have also jumped dramatically. This has driven public support for the anti-immigrant AfD which has overtaken Scholz’s Social Democrats in the polls.
Many migrants who arrive in Italy or Greece travel on to countries further north, often to Germany. Scholz has said that roughly 80% of the migrants currently arriving in Germany did not ask for asylum in the EU country where they first arrived.
Germany and Italy are still putting the finishing touches to the exact wording of the agreement. They are likely to pledge close cooperation on reducing new migrant arrivals with a multi-pronged approach, the people said.
Albanian Centers
Italy is building two asylum processing centers on Albanian territory and Scholz said Saturday that he’s carefully examining the mechanism.
Scholz’s comments signaled a tougher approach after his ruling coalition and state premiers agreed on a package of measures aimed at speeding up deportation of rejected asylum seekers and improving the integration of those allowed to stay in Germany.
After meeting Meloni for a one—on-one conversation last month on the sidelines of the EU summit, Scholz described the encounter as an intensive discussion driven by the desire to reach pragmatic results.
“I think we will succeed in ensuring in a very practical way that we do not work against each other, but with each other,” Scholz said.
Scholz pointed out that both governments over the past months had worked closely together to enable and ensure a broader EU agreement among interior ministers on joint asylum and deportation rules.
The last time Germany and Italy held high-level talks with a joint cabinet meeting was in 2016 when former premier Matteo Renzi welcomed then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in Maranello in northern Italy.
So, uhm, we are really getting back together?
We, uhm, need to talk about foreigners.
But not like last time.
Talk, but in a different way.
I’m gonna guess the “solution” will be the mandatory relocation to other EU countries who never invited these people in the first place unlike Germany and others. Instead, you know, securing the border for example (gasp!).