Giorgia Meloni: Will Italy's PM stop the boats or will the boats stop her?
CNNApr 20, 2023
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday called off a trip to Paris, citing comments from French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Rome's migration management that he said were offensive and a "stab in the back."
This decision comes despite France quickly reaffirming its willingness to cooperate with Italy after Darmanin told RMC radio that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had lied to voters and was incapable of solving the migration problem.
Though Italy's Meloni campaigned on stopping the landing of migrant boats on Italian shores, her success on this matter was short-lived as the number of people entering the country by boats has skyrocketed since January. The migration crisis in Europe can only be successfully addressed if the EU operates as a cohesive group to deal with the root causes that are prompting people to risk their lives to flee their own countries.
It is ridiculous that Darmanin has attempted to pass the buck on the migration issue, aggressively blaming Italy's Meloni for the current crisis. Ironically, it's the leader of his country, Pres. Emmanuel Macron, who should take the initiative to coordinate the European response to the chaos in the Mediterranean as he has posed as the EU's senior statesman since late 2021.