During the week of the first key EU agreement on safe third countries and on hubs for migrant returns in Europe, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke via video conference in Brussels and discussed how her government's work over the past three years has changed EU priorities on dealing with undocumented migration.
"Italy has worked to propose innovative solutions that are now being viewed with increasing interest and are becoming common practice," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said at the International Conference of the Global Alliance against Migrant Smuggling on December 10.
"I am referring mainly to the Albania Protocol." She went on to note that her government's actions may also soon lead to reform of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), rendering its approach on migration "more effective".
Italy and Brussels 'on the same path' says Meloni
Meloni spoke after European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during the conference, stressing that the European executive and the Italian government are on the same 'path' as concerns migration.
In a meeting on December 8, amid a period in which right-wing and center-right governments dominate the EU-27, the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council agreed on three key measures.
The first was to amend the Asylum Procedure Regulation to apply the safe third country concept; the second to establish an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin; and the third to put in place "a common system for the return of third-country nationals who do not have the right to stay in the EU".
It is on the last point that Italy is focusing on getting past regulatory and procedural barriers to its migrant centers in Albania.
"Processing asylum requests and returns outside the EU but under European jurisdiction — this model is part of the path being followed at the European level," Meloni said.
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Procedure for repatriation reform
The European Council is waiting for an answer from the European Parliament on regulations regarding repatriation prior to proceeding with talks between the institutions. After that, the measure will undergo a plenary vote and then pass to the European Council for final approval. It is in the European Parliament that the measure -- due to opposition from the Socialists, Greens, and the left -- risks slowing down, with the possibility of only the 'Venezuela majority' being able to get past any barriers.
The 'Venezuela majority' consists of the European People's Party (EPP), European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Patriots for Europe (PfE), and the far-right.
Meloni noted during her speech at the conference that a sharp drop in migrants arriving shows "we are on the right path".
Shortly before, Von der Leyen had said that there had been a plunge in the number of migrants arriving in the EU via key routes over the previous two years but also stressed that "unravelling the networks remains extremely challenging. It is not enough to target one link in the smuggling chain. We must go after the entire network."
"When people cross borders illegally, they do not just risk their life, too often, they fall prey to labor exploitation afterwards," she added. "With no rights and no protections. This is a form of modern slavery, and we must do more to fight it here in Europe."
"Therefore, we must open more safe pathways, legal pathways, to Europe. We must create more bridges between our continents. We must make sure that people can find a job where their talent is needed, match the skills and bring skills across our borders," Von der Leyen said.
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Push for ECHR reform, 'balance rights with public safety'
Italy is working on migration both at the EU level and at the Council of Europe. In Strasbourg, on an Italian-Danish initiative, a meeting with ministers from member states was held to begin discussing ECHR regulations.
Italy's justice minister, Carlo Nordio, noted that "it is necessary to combine human rights with security."
Italy, Denmark, and Great Britain support reform of the ECHR, and -- with 24 governments joining the initiative -- this is now backed by the majority of the members of the Council of Europe. Meloni said that the approach would ensure the security of citizens, which is "our top priority."
"Today, we have taken an important first step forward together," Alain Berset, secretary general of the Council of Europe, said. He tasked the committee of the 46 foreign ministers with drafting a political declaration to be adopted at their next formal session in May 2026.
The Council of Europe has said it is open to presenting a new model, including with the use of 'hubs'.However, "migrants have unalienable rights".
"Our task is not to weaken the Convention, but to keep it strong and relevant, to ensure that liberty and security, justice and responsibility, are held in balance," Berset warned.
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