Italy’s interior minister warned on his Twitter that the practice of sending unauthorised charter flights with the migrants to Italian airports is over. Matteo Salvini is going to prevent repatriation of migrants from Germany, Telegraph reported on Monday.
The pro-active Italian interior minister warned that immigrants from Germany will not enter Italy through unauthorised charter flights, Brussel and Berlin should know there is not and will not be any Italy’s airport available. The hard-line policy towards the migrants is still strong. He is expected to meet Marine Le Pen from the right-wing Rassemblement National, the new name of the National Front, in Rome on Monday.
“We will close the airports like we closed the ports,” Salvini added.
Despite Salvini’s latest comments are likely to anger his EU counterparts, last week, he has already clashed over Italy’s proposed budget deficit of 2.4percent, which would be in breach of EU guidelines. Under the Dublin Treaty migrants are required to seek asylum in the first European country where they disembark but Italy’s populist coalition government has been working to overhaul the treaty, saying Italy has taken in too many migrants.
The Italians are protesting against Salvini’s policy but the recent poll shows his tough approach appears to be working in his favour. On Saturday, a poll published by Corriere Della Sera showed the impressive League’s popularity at all-time high of 34 percent, with its coalition partner the Five Star Movement down slightly to 28.5 percent. In comparison, Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party was at 7.8 percent.
So far, Matteo Salvini is also looking to exploit anti-EU sentiment in Hungary, Poland and France in the run-up to next year’s European parliamentary elections.
