Italian
PM vows to secure borders and approves bill allowing naval blockades
Legislation
is latest step in crackdown by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government on
irregular migration
Angela
Giuffrida in Rome
Thu 12
Feb 2026 15.43 CET
Italy’s
prime minister says her government will deploy every tool at its disposal to
“guarantee the security of our borders” after approving a bill authorising
naval blockades to stop boats from arriving in Italy during periods of
“exceptional pressure”.
The bill
is the latest step in the crackdown on irregular immigration by Giorgia
Meloni’s far-right government, which has included tough measures against
charity rescue ships, harsher jail terms for human smugglers and schemes aimed
at swiftly repatriating people.
Under the
legislation, which needs to be approved by both houses of parliament, Italian
authorities would have the power to ban boats from entering the country’s
territorial waters for up to 30 days, extendable by up to six months, in
situations of “serious threats to public order or national security”, such as
terrorism.
The
measure, which comes after hundreds of people are feared to have died while
crossing the Mediterranean from north Africa during a recent powerful storm,
also empowers authorities to impose the blockade during periods of dramatic
increases in boat arrivals.
Those
breaching the rules face fines of up to €50,000 (£43,500) and could have their
boats confiscated in case of repeated violations – a measure targeted at the
rescue ships. In such cases, the passengers on board could be transported to
countries other than their country of origin that Italy has specific
repatriation agreements with.
The
European parliament this week approved changes to EU asylum rules in response
to pressure from member states, including Italy, for a harsher approach.
In a
video message on social media, Meloni said the legislation included measures to
speed up the deportation of people convicted of crimes and expanded the cases
that could result in expulsion, for example if a foreigner assaulted a police
officer or was accused of slavery or domestic violence.
“If you
want to live here, you need to respect the Italian laws,” Meloni said.
According
to figures from Italy’s interior ministry, 66,296 people arrived by boat on
Italian coastlines in 2025, a slight dip on the previous year but about half
the number of arrivals in 2023, when Italy’s far-right government reinforced
and enacted deals with Libya and Tunisia to stem the number of people.
Meloni
said: “For all those who said it was impossible, I want to remind you that
nothing is truly impossible for those who are determined to do something. And
we are determined to guarantee the security of our borders and our citizens,
and we will use every tool at our disposal to ensure it.”
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