ITALY: Proposed naval blockades further threaten rescue missions in the Mediterranean 

Italy’s government has approved a draft migration bill that would allow authorities to impose an exceptional naval blockade preventing vessels from entering Italian territorial waters for up to six months in cases deemed to be  “threats to public order or national security”. The legislation, which still requires parliament’s approval, introduces fines of up to €50,000 and possible confiscation of vessels that don’t obey the requirements. Civil society has raised concerns that the measures go against Italy’s obligations under international maritime and refugee law, including the duty to rescue people at sea.  

The proposal significantly expands state powers to restrict the activities of CSOs carrying out humanitarian search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean and working on migrants’ and refugees’ rights. The law would enable authorities to deny rescued migrants access to Italian ports and increase legal and operational risks for humanitarian organisations. Human rights experts have warned that the vaguely defined grounds for imposing the naval blockades, such as “exceptional migratory pressure”, could further criminalise solidarity with migrants and shrink the space for migrant’s rights CSOs, as well as normalise the securitisation of migration across Europe.  

The proposal is part of a broader tightening of Italy’s migration policies under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government. It follows recent EU asylum reforms that have encouraged member states to adopt more repressive migration policies.