Security measures. The ‘crisis’ with Madrid drags on. Push for CPRs

The suspension of the Schengen Agreement with Spain continues. And so the long summer of ‘crisis’ between Rome and Madrid, which began on 1 August, will drag on for at least another 15 days, until mid-September. “It was necessary to do so, but I trust this will be the final extension; it would mean we are moving towards a normalisation of the situation,” says Home Secretary Matteo Piantedosi. He also assures “every form of cooperation with Spain”. Even so, the Spanish government, in response, has in turn decided to extend checks on passengers arriving from Italy for two weeks. In short, the Ministry of the Interior does not believe the conditions are right for a reversal; it describes the decision as “non-invasive” and cites a series of figures which, given the resurgence of tensions in Ceuta (yesterday, Spanish police fired into the air to disperse a crowd during a brawl between migrants), would justify this caution. In August, in fact, out of around 500,000 checks, there were 31 refusals of entry, eight of whom were Moroccan nationals. In reality, the Interior Ministry is exuding optimism. This is partly because the two governments, despite the tensions of recent weeks, are in agreement on the need to “redistribute arrivals” on the basis of European solidarity mechanisms. Madrid, in fact, together with Paris, has opted not to transfer so-called ‘Dublin cases’ to Italy. This move has been seen as a gesture of openness towards the Italian government. That said, the decision on Schengen does not contradict the stance Meloni intends to adopt on security in the coming weeks. This is because, even on another key issue – the management of arrivals – the Prime Minister has called for faster action. In particular, regarding the opening of the Repatriation Holding Centres (CPRs), which Minister Piantedosi had spoken about in recent months. These have now once again made it onto Fratelli d’Italia’s end-of-legislature agenda. The issue has, in fact, been raised once more by FdI’s head of organisation, Giovanni Donzelli. It may also be touched upon in the speech the Prime Minister is preparing for the celebration to be held in Bari on Friday to mark the government’s record-breaking tenure as the longest-serving ever. The focus is primarily on the CPRs promised for Calabria and Trentino, regions governed by the centre-right. Speaking from the stage at the Port of Bari, the Prime Minister will also place great emphasis on the figures described as ‘positive’ released by the Ministry of the Interior on 15 August, which show a decline in the number of irregular migrant arrivals in Italy as well as an increase of around 34 per cent in repatriations over the last six months. This is all whilst bearing in mind the proposed agreement at European level on the so-called ‘return hubs’ in Africa.

Meloni’s intention – with a meeting scheduled at Palazzo Chigi with other majority leaders to take stock of the new energy measures (fuel discounts expire on 4 September) – is, in short, to use immigration and security as a ‘point of pride’ for the government’s actions. This is one of the few areas on which there is unanimity within the majority. On the other hand, the coalition continues to debate the electoral law. Today is the deadline for tabling amendments in the Senate, and a new meeting of the ‘sherpas’ convened last night in Via della Scrofa failed to resolve all the doubts. This is particularly true regarding the run-off vote, with one amendment tabled by FdI Senator Marcello Pera and another by FI, neither of which has been endorsed by the entire coalition (whilst there will be a joint amendment on preferential votes). In any case, the text will be brought before the Chamber without a mandate for the rapporteurs, so as to gain another week for negotiations taking place entirely within the centre-right.