UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday during his visit to Rome.
He recently shown interest in understanding Italy’s strategy of sending migrants rescued at sea to Albania for processing their asylum claims.
Migration will be a key topic in their discussions. Italy, which has received the highest number of migrants in the EU, has recently seen a notable decline in arrivals.
Frontex, the EU’s border agency, has reported a 64% decrease this year in migrant crossings from North Africa to Italy, with around 43,000 arrivals compared to nearly 158,000 in 2023.
Sir Keir, who began his political career with the young socialists, now leads a Labour government, while Meloni, who started with young neo-fascists, leads a right-wing coalition.
The meeting will cover irregular migration and efforts to reduce sea arrivals.
In Rome, Sir Keir is expected to learn about Italy’s measures to manage irregular migration, including new reception centers in Albania set to open later this year.
Moreover, Foreign Secretary David Lammy noted that the Prime Minister will discuss Italy’s migration strategies, not just with Albania but also with Syria and Libya.
