Today, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Emanuela Del Re, attended the meeting “Humanitarian corridors for a solidarity-based Europe” at Palazzo Montecitorio, at the presence of Roberto Fico, the President of the Chamber of Deputies.
The Deputy Minister defined humanitarian corridors as an “intelligent and virtuous response representing a reasonable and collaborative model to manage migration flows instead of constantly reacting to emergencies, and they also help combat human trafficking.”
“The project is about integration and life, with the persons involved integrated into the Country, which also helps improve the public perception of refugees,” she added.
The Deputy Minister then said that the Italian model would have to be expanded and a plan devised for “European humanitarian corridors”, involving both Italy and other European partners. “This would represent a new approach to help bridge certain gaps in EU policies while also encouraging greater social cohesion within the European Union. European humanitarian corridors would represent a collective effort towards a structural solution which we need,” added Del Re.
The Humanitarian corridors project has brought about 2,500 refugees and highly vulnerable people to Italy since 2015 in a legal, protected manner through a reception and integration programme set up by civil society associations. The project complies with Italian law and involves international organisations such as the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Del Re noted that it involved a partnership with the promoter organisations – the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches, the Waldensian Board and the Episcopal Conference of Italy – which finance it “so that it does not cost the State anything”. Italy is also engaged in a European resettlement programme and recently carried out humanitarian evacuations in emergency situations from Libya and Niger (coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior).
