“I fully understand that we need to strengthen Europe’s southern border. We talk a lot about the eastern border and the threats there, but we must not forget that we have a southern border, a border along the Mediterranean Sea. Europe must take responsibility for closing that border,” De Wever stated during a press briefing.
De Wever met Meloni after a summer in which unexpectedly tens of thousands of people from Morocco stormed the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. Italy promptly introduced border controls for travellers from Spain, a measure that was extended for another fifteen days last week.
Meloni called for better protection of the external borders. “I remain firmly convinced that the Schengen Area can only be maintained if the Union’s external borders are protected and if everyone contributes to the fight against people smugglers,” she said.
De Wever also advocated for the full implementation of the new European migration pact in all its aspects, including a stronger return policy. “Only with a credible return policy can we make European migration policy a success,” argued the Belgian prime minister.
De Wever’s N-VA and Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia share a parliamentary group (ECR) in the European Parliament, and in the European Council, the two politicians are “allies,” according to De Wever. The prime minister also praised Meloni’s “leadership” and the “excellent” bilateral relations with Italy. His doing so in Italian as well earned him a round of applause from his host.
Not only on migration issues do Belgium and Italy see eye to eye. According to De Wever, both countries are also fighting to strengthen European competitiveness and oppose the high energy prices that harm European industry. The prime minister also expressed appreciation for cooperation in the fight against organised crime.
On the geopolitical front, both countries hope for a swift end to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, according to De Wever. “We believe that more diplomatic efforts are needed to end the conflict on our own continent”.
Geopolitical instability has led to increased defence budgets and rearmament programmes across Europe. Belgium and Italy also want to collaborate more in this area. “More cooperation is on the agenda, and we are very interested in doing more with the Italian industry,” the prime minister added.
The initial translation of this content was generated by AI. All facts, context, and language have subsequently been verified and validated by a human editorial team.
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