The European Court of Justice slams the government's migrant record, while Meloni continues to focus on Albania and becomes furious with the judges.
The ruling of the CJEU
In short, even European judges are trying to dispel the desire for sovereignty which, impracticable in the reality of the rules, had also inflamed the conflict with the Italian magistrates who were blocking the repatriation procedures in recent months.
Finally, after much anticipation, the European Court of Justice's ruling on the migrant centers built by Italy in Albania has arrived, ruling against the government. The government obviously didn't take kindly to the cold shoulder on one of the cornerstones of its program. The decision, Prime Minister Meloni wrote on her Instagram profile, "surprises." But more than surprised, the prime minister seems furious: " Once again, jurisdiction, this time European, is claiming rights that aren't its responsibility, in the face of political responsibilities ," Meloni protests.
In short, European judges are also working to undermine the desire for sovereignty, which, impracticable given the actual legal framework, had inflamed the conflict with Italian magistrates blocking repatriation procedures in recent months. The Prime Minister continues: "In identifying so-called safe countries , the Court gives precedence to the decision of the national judge, based even on private sources, over the results of the complex investigations conducted by the relevant ministries and evaluated by the sovereign Parliament." She calls this " a step that should concern everyone, including the political forces that are celebrating today" because it " further reduces the already limited margins of autonomy of governments and parliaments" in managing migrants.
And finally, she ventures : "It is strange, " Meloni writes, " that this is happening just months before the entry into force of the EU Pact on Immigration and Asylum, which contains more stringent rules." But she assures that—while waiting for the European Pact— " the Italian government will not stop seeking every possible solution to protect the safety of its citizens ." Her majority colleague Matteo Salvini is even more harsh in his words, calling the EU Court's ruling "scandalous, shameful, and embarrassing. " Even "dangerous," he says, because " it limits the ability to control borders, fight human traffickers, and limit landings." But Meloni's Sara Kelany goes further than anyone else, calling it "an anti-democratic absurdity."
On the left, the news is received with a completely different mood. Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein , during a rally in the Marche region, at Force, mimicked Meloni: "The centers in Albania won't work," she said, referring to the promise Meloni had made from the stage at Atreju (" the centers will work, even if I have to work day and night," the prime minister had said). " Who knows if this time too they'll say we inspired them ," Schlein continued , "who knows if this time too they'll say the European Court is trying to block justice reform in Italy." Instead, the Democratic Party secretary continued, " they should take responsibility for not having read Italian and European laws and for having made an illegal choice with inhumane centers in Albania that trample on the fundamental rights of migrants and asylum seekers and for which they squandered more than 800 million euros of Italian money, which we could have used to hire doctors and nurses."
Bonelli of Avs comments, calling the Albania Plan " a political, economic, and legal failure." For +Europa, the EU Court's decision is "Giorgia Meloni's Caporetto." The ANM, which represents the magistrates, emphasizes that the ruling "unequivocally confirms the correctness of the interpretation of Italian judges, which has repeatedly been the target of heavy public criticism in recent months." Meanwhile, the TAI, the Asylum and Immigration Committee, calls on the government "to acknowledge the ruling, cease all initiatives aimed at reactivating the Italy-Albania Protocol, and bring migration policy back into line with international and European law and constitutional guarantees." The government's intentions, however, appear to be entirely different.
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