Italy and Spain consider the EU migration pact insufficient

This Wednesday, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, sealed their alliance to achieve effective solidarity from the entire European Union in the face of the problem of illegal immigration.

Sánchez and Conte chaired the 19th Spanish-Italian summit in Palma, which brought together 19 ministers from the two governments and was the first to be held in almost seven years.

At the summit, steps have been taken towards bilateral collaboration, which the two heads of government have highlighted, and which Conte has come to describe as "a new driving force" for the EU, with the aim of tackling future challenges and some more immediate ones, such as the response to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The problem of immigration, at a time when the Canary Islands are suffering from the massive arrival of migrants, was one of the main issues addressed at the meeting.

In order to highlight this issue, the two countries have published a working document which they have sent to the Community institutions, and which has been joined by Greece and Malta, in order to achieve effective solidarity from the whole of the EU in the face of this problem.

In that text they have appreciated the work in the European Union to achieve a new pact on migration and asylum, and they recognise that the proposal presented is a constructive starting point for common work.

But, as Sánchez said at the press conference, they consider it insufficient, and so they have advocated that there should be solidarity shared by all, not just by the countries of entry of migratory flows, and that this aspect should be clearly defined in the pact.

"We must find coordinated solutions to our common challenges," the document stresses.
Conte insisted on this common effort, on tackling the problem as a whole and on effective mechanisms for redistributing immigrants because "one country cannot bear everything."

For his part, Sánchez considered it necessary to open up this debate and reach a consensus.

When asked if there should also be this solidarity in Spain on the part of all the communities in the face of the problem that the Canary Islands are experiencing and the transfer of some immigrants who have arrived from the islands to Malaga and Seville, he replied that it is important to emphasise this solidarity between territories "and to have sufficient discretion to make this migration policy".

The working document presented by the two presidents represents an open war on the migration pact. The text is accompanied by a letter addressed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The bulk of the text criticises the migration pact, which they consider insufficient to guarantee shared responsibility in the management of irregular migration flows.

They also describe the migratory pact as counterproductive for countries such as Spain and Italy, which are disadvantaged as a result of their geographical situation and are therefore most affected by illegal migration.

The common fight against the coronavirus was another of the main issues discussed at the summit, where the two heads of government paid tribute to all the victims, urged them not to lower their guard and advocated standardising measures in view of a period of increased risk of contagion such as Christmas.

Furthermore, Sanchez has hoped that the EU recovery funds, which are currently conditioned by the Polish and Hungarian veto, can be released before 31 December with a unanimous agreement.

The two Presidents of the Government have remembered the women who are victims of male violence on the occasion of the international day for the eradication of this scourge.

Previously, they had signed a declaration in which they committed themselves to promoting measures in the EU to confront it and had observed a minute's silence with their respective delegations in the courtyard of the Almudaina Palace.

For Sánchez, the Palma summit has been about agreement, action and demanding "the best of the EU", while Conte has insisted on the benefits for the whole of EU Europe of this strategic alliance between Spain and Italy.
The Italian Prime Minister also praised his Spanish counterpart for "his willingness to dialogue, his humane treatment and his political intelligence".

The two heads of government have signed several agreements which reflect some of the commitments made and which have also been reflected in a final declaration.

After the press conference, Sánchez and Conte, together with some of their ministers, visited Palma Cathedral, located next to the Almudaina Palace which hosted the summit..