Italian Prime Minister Georgia MellonHe chaired, this afternoon, a cabinet meeting held in Koutros, Calabria.

That is, at the point where, a few tens of meters from the coast, the shipwreck of February 26 took place, in which 72 immigrants and refugees lost their lives.

During a press conference at the end of the cabinet meeting, Meloni announced a series of new measures and initiatives to deal with refugees and immigrants.

As he pointed out, her government decided to focus on combating the activity of traffickers.

According to what was decided, the sentences for traffickers will increase from the current maximum of fifteen years to thirty. The specific penalty will be provided in case the operators of the trips, organized in the Mediterranean by illegal networks of slave traders, cause the death of migrants and refugees.

This maximum penalty can also be imposed in the event that any passengers of the vessels lose their lives outside the Italian borders. “This is a universal crime. We want everyone to understand that it is beneficial for them to come to our country, through the legal route, and we will prepare special communication campaigns”, underlined the Italian Prime Minister.

Based on today’s decisions, as it was emphasized, the deportations of illegal immigrants will be increased and new centers will be created for the temporary stay of those who are decided to be repatriated.

“We approved the return of legitimate streams. Flows which will now have a three-year duration. Priority will be given to workers with professional training recognized in Italy, as well as in countries that inform their citizens of the risk of these illegal tripsMeloni said.

At the same time, he emphasized that “in recent years, no decisions have been approved for legal flows of immigrants, due to the increasingly large dimensions of illegal immigration.” Something he called “unacceptable”.

Finally, the Italian Prime Minister underlined that her country expects new, substantial answers from the European Union, starting with a more substantial economic cooperation with Tunisia, from which, in the last period, many traffickers’ boats, destined for Lower Italy, depart .