EU Commissioner welcomes declarations that Italy will stop migrant push-back policy

The EU Human Rights Commissioner Nils Mui?nieks welcomed recent declarations in Italy at the highest political level that the 'push-back' policy will no longer be applied.

The commissioner was on a four day visit to Italy which "focused on the human rights of Roma and Sinti and on the human rights of migrants, including asylum seekers." 

Mui?nieks released a statement in which he "welcomed recent declarations [in Italy] at the highest political level that the 'push-back' policy will no longer be applied, in the light of the Hirsi Jamaa judgment of the Strasbourg Court.

He also stated his appreciation for the efforts throughout the country to accommodate persons arriving from North Africa in the first half of 2011.

The Commissioner further "recommended that the system of reception centres be unified, guaranteeing an adequate level of protection everywhere, and capable of responding to fluctuating migratory flows.

Mui?nieks also pointed out that once officially recognized, refugees and other beneficiaries of international protection do not receive the crucial support they need to integrate into Italian society, and are therefore forced to live in destitute conditions. The Commissioner said 'I personally witnessed the intolerable circumstances faced by 800 such persons, struggling to survive in an abandoned building in Rome. This is unacceptable in a country like Italy'."

Referring to his visit to an identification and expulsion centre (CIE) in Ponte Galeria, where migrants are held while procedures for their identification are being carried out, the Commissioner also expressed deep concern about the conditions of detention in such institutions.

He stressed that "many arrive in these facilities after serving a prison sentence. It must be possible to proceed with their identification while they are still in prison".

On the subject of the length of proceedings, the Commissioner underlined the complexity of this problem, which is detrimental not only to Italian citizens and the Italian economy, but also to the European system of human rights protection.

He acknowledged the significant efforts to address this problem, but stressed that "it will not be resolved unless all interested parties contribute to the solution, including the Ministry of Justice, the High Council of the Judiciary, as well as judges, prosecutors and lawyers".

The Commissioner considered as particularly promising the approach favouring active case management by judges, as promoted by Council of Europe bodies: "The effectiveness of this practice was proven by the very positive results obtained in certain courts, such as the First Instance Court of Turin. At a time of economic crisis, this approach has the undeniable advantage of not requiring additional resources".