The Home Secretary will visit Italy this week to accelerate joint
work to stem illegal migration from North Africa.
In a two-day official engagement, will visit the Italian Coast
Guard Headquarters in Rome today (Tuesday) to understand the
operational challenges the country faces from migrant
arrivals.
The trip comes as the Government enters the final preparation
phase for flights to Rwanda, with the first flight expected to go
in 10 to 12 weeks.
Both the UK and Italy have been global leaders in forging bold
and novel solutions to illegal migration, with Italy announcing
plans for a third country processing centre in Albania last year.
While in Italy, the Home Secretary will meet his counterpart,
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, where they will discuss how
the two countries can expand existing joint work, including in
North Africa, to stem upstream migration and stop people making
the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.
Building on existing joint work to assist the voluntary return of
migrants from Tunisia to their home countries, the UK and Italy
are exploring wider areas of cooperation to prevent illegal
migration. This includes addressing the root causes and drivers
of illegal migration through the Rome Process and Italy's G7
Presidency.
The Home Secretary will then travel to Lampedusa on Wednesday. He
will be the first UK Government minister to visit the island,
which last year saw migrant arrivals by boat dwarf the size
of its population. In 2023, Lampedusa was the busiest migration
hotspot in Italy, with around 110,000 migrants landing there.
The visit to the island will allow him to see first-hand how the
Italian authorities are working with agencies like Frontex and
international humanitarian groups to track migrant boats and save
lives at sea. He will hear the tragic consequences of migrants
getting in unseaworthy boats to travel across the Mediterranean.
At the Italian Coast Guard Headquarters, he will see the hub that
is responsible for the maritime police and the supervision of all
activities at sea, including search and rescue (SAR) operations
in Italy's 500,000 km² SAR zone. The centre leads these
activities in close coordination with international partners.
The scale of illegal migration across Europe is rapidly
increasing and Italy has been at the forefront of that challenge.
Last year, arrivals into Europe via the Central Mediterranean
route rose by 50% to almost 157,651, up from 105,131 in 2022.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said:
“Tackling the global migration crisis takes global solutions.
Italy are one of our most crucial partners in tackling this
shared challenge and have been at the forefront of arrivals into
Europe.
“Our countries have shown we are willing to challenge the status
quo and use innovative solutions to tackle the issues, while
ferociously going after the people-smuggling gangs.”
Last month, the Minister for Countering Illegal Migration,
Michael Tomlinson, visited Libya andpledged up to £1 million to
help tackle the record numbers of people using the country to
reach Europe.
In February, the Home Secretary gave a keynote speech in New York
calling on the global community to take collective action on
migration. The Home Office also agreed a deal with Frontex, the
European Border and Coast Guard Agency, committing to deploy
personnel UK staff on the continent and vice versa, increase
intelligence-sharing, conduct joint training and explore the use
of new technology.
In October, the Home Secretary will travel to Avellino for the G7
Interior Ministers' meeting.
