{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreicblotru7xvomnbpldaq6pxmfpweyubxrv6xzhg4zz5qxqnztbvze",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:ogzu4zgl3zr5ufw3l7yu64cq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mensczx4lrk2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreiahgb7iyhrrnkcpador3hqpr4u36b474ldnek3fqqpsu7yeyiq4fu"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 58941
  },
  "path": "/news/italy-new-hard-line-migration-decree-with-naval-blockade-powers.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-12T09:41:20.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.wantedinrome.com",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "Politics"
  ],
  "textContent": "Meloni cabinet approves maritime bans and offshore processing to counter 'exceptional pressure' at borders.\nItaly's right-wing government has approved a sweeping new migration bill that introduces the power to impose \"naval blockades\" on vessels attempting to enter national waters.\n\nThe legislation, signed off by prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet on Wednesday, represents a significant tightening of Italy’s maritime sovereignty.\n\nIn a post on social media, Meloni described the bill as a \"very significant measure to strengthen the fight against mass illegal immigration and human traffickers\".\n\nThe bill arrives just one day after the European Parliament backed a new list of \"safe countries,\" a move the Italian government hailed as a victory for its strategy of externalising asylum processing.\n\nThe \"blockade\" mechanism\n\nThe centrepiece of the new decree is the authority to implement a temporary prohibition on any vessel crossing into Italy’s territorial waters.\n\nThe ban can be imposed for an initial 30 days, with the possibility of extensions up to a total of six months.\n\nAuthorities can trigger these powers in cases of \"serious threats to public order or national security\" - specifically citing the risk of terrorist infiltration - or when \"exceptional migratory pressure\" threatens the secure management of borders.\n\nShips that violate the ban face fines of up to €50,000, and repeat offenders risk having their vessels confiscated - a move widely interpreted as being aimed at non-governmental organisation (NGO) rescue ships.\n\nOffshore processing and third-country transfers\n\nThe legislation also provides a legal framework for the immediate transfer of intercepted migrants to \"safe\" third countries with which Italy has bilateral agreements.\n\nThis provision is designed to revive the Italy-Albania protocol, which has faced repeated judicial delays over the past two years.\n\nUnder the new rules, migrants rescued at sea could be transported directly to Italian-run centres in Albania or other partner nations for asylum processing, bypassing Italian mainland ports entirely.\n\nInterior ministry statistics indicate that sea arrivals rose 17 per cent in 2025, reaching over 112,000, which the government cites as the primary justification for these \"emergency\" measures.\n\nPolitical and legal fallout\n\nThe announcement has sparked a fierce backlash from opposition parties and humanitarian groups.\n\nLegal experts have also warned that the \"naval blockade\" could face challenges at the European Court of Human Rights, particularly regarding the principle of non-refoulement - the prohibition of returning refugees to places where their lives are at risk.\n\nThe bill must still be debated and passed by both houses of parliament, however the government’s majority makes its approval highly likely.\n\nPhoto credit: Imaxe Press / Shutterstock.com.",
  "title": "Italy advances new hard-line migration decree with 'naval blockade' powers"
}