The statement set fire to the powder. Interviewed this Thursday, May 4 on RMC, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin pointed to Italy’s inability to manage its migratory flow, while it has been facing record arrivals of migrants on its shores since January. Offended, the Italian government canceled an official visit. L’Express takes stock of this diplomatic pass in three acts.
Act 1: According to Darmanin, Meloni is “unable to solve migration problems”
It all started this Thursday morning with an interview with Gérald Darmanin broadcast on RMC. The Minister of the Interior answered a question on the remarks of Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally (RN), who criticized the government for its laxity on the migratory situation. “Yes, there is an influx of migrants” in the south of France, acknowledged Gérald Darmanin. He then blamed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who comes from the far right.
“Madame Meloni is unable to resolve the migration issues on which she was elected,” he said. “Italy is unable to manage this migratory pressure.” Before continuing: “Madame Meloni is like Madame Le Pen: she gets elected by saying ‘you are going to see what you are going to see’ and then what we see is that immigration does not stop and let it grow.”
Act 2: Italy denounces “unacceptable” comments and cancels a meeting in Paris
The reaction from Rome was not long in coming. Antonio Tajani, head of Italian diplomacy, announced that he was canceling his official visit to France. He was expected this May 4 in Paris for a meeting with his counterpart Catherine Colonna. But “the offenses against the government and Italy launched by Mr. Darmanin are unacceptable”, he justified on Twitter. “This is not the spirit with which we must face common European challenges.”
It was to be Antonio Tajani’s first visit to France since taking office. He was to discuss with Catherine Colonna “support for Ukraine and common issues in the Mediterranean Sea”, said Anne-Claire Legendre, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Act 3: Paris tries to calm things down
Faced with the escalation, the Foreign Ministry renewed its desire to “work with Italy” in a public statement. “The French government wishes to work with Italy to face the common challenge represented by the rapid increase in migratory flows”, he assured. Before adding that the bilateral relationship was “based on mutual respect, between our two countries and between their leaders”.
More than 42,000 people have arrived via the Mediterranean in Italy this year, compared to around 11,000 over the same period in 2022, according to Italian authorities. Enough to add fuel to the fire between Paris and Rome, for which immigration has been an ultra-sensitive subject for years. In November, relations between the two countries were already strained when the Meloni government, barely in power, refused to allow a humanitarian ship from the NGO SOS Méditerranée to dock. The “Ocean Viking” had ended up being welcomed by France in Toulon in the Var, with more than 200 migrants on board. Paris then convened a European meeting so that this scenario did not happen again.