Between Lampedusa and Naples, Meloni's political fate hangs in the balancehttps://en.majalla.com/node/301036/politics/between-lampedusa-and-naples-melonis-political-fate-hangs-balance
Between Lampedusa and Naples, Meloni's political fate hangs in the balance
Immigration has become a hot political issue in Europe – especially in the south, where arrivals have spiked in September – what happens next in the Mediterranean will dominate 2024 elections
Al Majalla/Agencies
Immigration is likely to play a major role in upcoming European elections. Italy's right-wing prime minister has set our her stall on the issue with some success, but the economy will also be key.
Between Lampedusa and Naples, Meloni's political fate hangs in the balance
The leader of Italy’s right-wing government is facing a challenge to its authority on a tiny speck of land far from its southernmost coast. What happens next there will be watched across the world.
Giorgia Meloni is clear about the significance of what is going on in the waters of the Mediterranean, and its causes: “The fate of Europe is at stake on the island Lampedusa, the destination of illegal migrants.”
As well as dealing with the influx of irregular immigration, Meloni faces a complex series of conflicting social and political pressures just eleven months into her tenure at the Chigi Palace.
The first woman to run an Italian government has so far kept her coalition unified and shown confidence in steering a nation with a high debt burden, surging inflation and the economic and political impact of the war in Ukraine.
Meloni, who comes from a working-class district of Rome, has difficult choices ahead of her in a country famed for its volatile politics.
As well as dealing with the influx of irregular immigration, Meloni faces a complex series of conflicting social and political pressures just eleven months into her tenure at the Chigi Palace.
The head of the Brotherhood of Italy party needs the kind of popular appeal that will secure the support of voters in the suburban areas of major cities into European elections due next year.
And immigration from North Africa is one of the highest profile items in the in-tray of a politician who is no stranger to controversy.
Migrants on board a rescue ship between Lampedusa and Tunisia look on as they arrive at the port of Naples, Italy, August 28, 2023.
Dangerous reading
A month before she triumphed in the national elections of October 2022, German magazine Stern called Meloni "Europe's most dangerous woman", not least due to perceptions that her hardline politics were hostile to the European Union.
But her conduct in office has shown both pragmatism and consistent respect for European treaties and the EU's principle of collective action, even at times of friction between Rome and Brussels. Even over the immigration issue, Meloni has handled EU-wide politics capably.
In September, the number of arrivals on Lampedusa surged. Around 12,000 undocumented migrants overwhelmed the island, whose population was only 8,000. The situation became critical and prompted concern and even solidarity across Europe.
Germany reversed its decision to accept irregular immigrants coming to the country via Italy.
Joint strategies
France's Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin arrived in Rome to discuss joint strategies — a turnaround from the tension between the two nations over the issue during which France did not attend a conference on irregular immigration in Rome, which Meloni presided over.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also came to Italy's assistance. She visited Lampedusa and said, "Illegal immigration constitutes a challenge for Europe that necessitates a European response."
It is very important for me to be in Lampedusa today.
I'm here to offer a coordinated response by the Italian and European authorities.
She offered a 10-point aid scheme to help Italy manage the problem more efficiently, including a fairer distribution of arrivals across EU nations and moves to prevent future waves of arrivals.
Previous measures seeking a reduction in migration – and fairer distribution of arrivals – including those discussed at the Rome conference, have not worked.
Meloni explains this by pointing to the decline in economic fortunes in the countries people leave. Turmoil in Libya and sub-Saharan Africa is also pushing people into the hands of smuggling networks exploiting vulnerable migrants.
Now that Meloni is in power, she portrays herself as safeguarding Italy's interests despite facing pressure from her close partners — particularly one of her ministers, Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Northern League and a friend of the leader of the far-right in France, Marine Le Pen.
Next year's European elections will reveal the extent of Meloni's success, and the viability of her ambition to broaden the appeal of her right-wing coalition across the wider continent.
Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni shows on her smartphone a picture, sent by European Union border agency Frontex, of the boat that sank off Cutro last February 26, killing at least 72 migrants.
Turmoil closer to home
Closer to home, Meloni has been burnishing her appeal to people in the suburbs who feel left behind.
In Naples, a wave of organised crime, drug-related problems, deepening poverty and faltering public services caught national attention. The prime minister visited the Parco Verde neighbourhood of the Caivano suburb, around 13 kilometres from central Naples.
She unveiled a set of measures to "render the state's presence tangible and meaningful to its citizens." In what could be a precedent for Meloni's signature blend of policy, it included a police crackdown alongside funds for social investment and reform.
In September, the number of arrivals on Lampedusa surged. Around 12,000 undocumented migrants overwhelmed the island, whose population was only 8,000. The situation became critical and prompted concern and even solidarity across Europe.
And then, to Budapest, the capital of Hungary and Europe's right-wing movement, where Viktor Orban has been in power since 2010. Meloni took part in a conference he organised on demography, which spoke of policies to defend the family and European identity.
No EU country is producing anywhere near enough babies to sustain its population. Conservative leaders such as Viktor Orban and Giorgia Meloni paint this struggle as existential. To them, families mark the bedrock of an orderly state https://t.co/VBqvqddanK
Meloni's attempts to burnish her appeal to her supporters and the wider Italian public came after months when economic matters overshadowed social considerations.
At the end of last July, 169,000 Italian families were told their citizenship income — a form of unemployment benefit —would be discontinued. It was particularly associated with the south of the country. Wider consumer buying power across the country is in persistent decline due to inflation.
It means the prime minister's prospects at the polls will also depend on her ability to revitalise the economy, as well as taking a tough line on immigration, and managing her profile on the world stage.
