Italy’s Meloni rejects French criticism about migration

By Giovanni Legorano

ROME (AA) - Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni rebuffed new criticisms Wednesday by French politicians about her government’s handling of migrants, saying they attack Italy for internal political reasons.

“It isn’t ideal using us for internal settlements,” Meloni said during a visit to Prague to meet her Czech counterpart. “It doesn’t seem an ideal thing on a political and etiquette level, but everybody makes the choices they want to make.”

Meloni said she does not think there are any bilateral issues between France and Italy.

“These statements in front of cameras seem to be directed to the French public opinion. I am not worried by these criticisms,” she said.

Her remarks came after comments by Stephane Sejourne, a French member of the European Parliament and head of Renaissance, the party founded by President Emmanuel Macron.

The Le Figaro newspaper reported that Sejourne said Meloni’s party is taken as a model by the French far-right. He added that the Italian prime minister is demagogic when it comes to illegal migration and her government’s policies on the matter are “unfair, inhuman and ineffective.”

It is not the first time the French and the Italian administrations have spared illegal migration.

The two sides have often complained in recent months about the mismanagement of the issue or the lack of cooperation to reach a solution.

Last week, comments by French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin that branded the Italian government as “incapable” of solving the problem prompted Italy’s foreign minister to cancel an imminent visit to his French counterpart.