France denounced on Thursday (10 November) Italy’s “incomprehensible and unacceptable” attitude in refusing to welcome the migrants on board the Ocean Viking ship, at sea for more than 15 days, creating the first diplomatic crisis between the new governments of the two countries.
After the Council of Ministers on Thursday, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that France will “exceptionally” welcome the Ocean Viking, a migrant-carrying ship from the NGO SOS Méditerranée, and harshly attacked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government, in office for less than three weeks.
The presence of the interior minister at the press conference, usually moderated by the government spokesman alone, was another indication of the seriousness of the crisis between Paris and Rome.
Italy breaching international law
“The humanitarian situation on the Ocean Viking […] calls for immediate action,” Darmanin said.
The 234 people on board, rescued after their boats sank, are at “very high risk” after spending more than 15 days at sea. Among them, there are 57 children and a few dozens of sick persons.
France will welcome the Ocean Viking in the military port of Toulon. However, it stressed that the ship was “without any possible contestation in the Italian search and rescue zone”.
For Darmanin, there was “no doubt, with regard to international law and the law of the sea, that it was the responsibility of Italy to immediately designate a safe port to welcome this ship”.
Since Italy did not do so, the French authorities “decided to compensate for the unacceptable behaviour of the Italian government”, he said, adding that “France deeply regrets that Italy has chosen not to behave like a responsible European state”.
Retaliatory measures
France used a tone that was unusually harsh towards a historical partner such as Italy, and also took retaliatory measures against Rome.
While France was supposed to relocate 3,500 refugees for Italy in 2023, Darmanin explained that it is now “suspending all relocations […] and calls on all other participants in the EU mechanism, notably Germany, to do the same”.
Germany has also pledged to relocate 3,500 people but by the time of publishing this article, Berlin has not yet indicated whether it will be heeding France’s call.
In addition, there will also be a “strengthening of internal border controls [in France] with Italy”.
In perhaps the most ominous comment, Darmanin announced that this episode will have “extremely strong consequences on the bilateral relationship and on the relationship between Europe and the Italian government”.
The minister said Italy had in recent days accepted several NGO boats on its soil but refused to do so for the Ocean Viking.
European solidarity and response
“Italy is putting itself outside of European solidarity and its commitments,” which can only have “extremely strong consequences on the bilateral relationship [between France and Italy] and on the relationship between the EU and the Italian government,” the French minister said.
Darmanin also announced that France, Germany, and the European Commission would organise “a meeting to discuss the consequences of Italy’s behaviour [and] to better regulate rescue operations at sea by NGO ships in the Mediterranean”.
He said he had spoken with a number of EU colleagues, who “are all aware that things must now be organised differently so that Italy cannot take advantage of solidarity while being selfish itself”.
Darmanin even suggested “legal consequences” for the decision of Meloni’s government but did not elaborate.
League Senator slams EU 'moralists' on migration
As NGO ships are arriving in Sicily loaded with migrants, Massimiliano Romeo, the leader of the far-right League in the Senate, took aim at EU ‘moralists’ who demand humanitarianism but rely on the ports of others when it comes to migration.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
Source: euractiv.com
