On October 5, the Italian Government approved the new Immigration Decree, that rewrites and modifies the former security decrees after two years from their entry into force. 

The decree is made of twelve articles that introduce, among others, the System of Reception and Integration (former “Sprar”) that is accessible also from asylum seekers, who had been excluded by the previous decrees from the spread reception and the integration measures. The decree also introduces the special protection (similar to the former humanitarian protection) and it foresees new dispositions for the NGOs who operate at sea, while reinstating the principle of duty of rescue of boats in difficulties. 

“We finally adopted modifications that are in continuity with the situation prior to the security decrees. The hope now is to have an overall view with a prospective on the future. Instead of keeping on proceeding with small modifications, this is the moment to revise as a whole the Bossi-Fini law, which has a 20 years old structure,” said Camillo Ripamonti, Director of Centro Astalli, who considers the legislative changes a first step in the right direction.  

“It remains the sadness of having seen in these two years the misery of many people who, after having already suffered in their countries of origin and in their travel to Europe, they faced real obstacles and difficulties of access to Italy”. 

The time has come for a brave act from the part of the Parliament to face the immigration issue in its totality, including the right to asylum. During lockdown we became aware of the difficulties caused by the lack of manpower in the territories and of the necessity to regularize foreign workers, but we cannot proceed one piece at a time. I believe it is important to have the courage to make now important changes with a look to the future, since they have been submitted in the Parliament legislative proposals like the one of the “I was a foreigner campaign – The humanity that does good”.