The Italy-India Joint Working Group held its first meeting at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Farnesina). The Group is in charge of implementing the bilateral Migration and Mobility Agreement signed by Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani with India’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on 2 November 2023. The Agreement is aimed at regulating and promoting legal channels of migration between the two countries, focusing in particular on flows of skilled workers for economic sectors and services that require greater workforce. The Agreement also regulates exchanges of academic and scientific professionals between universities.
The Indian inter-ministerial delegation was represented by the Director General for Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs Muktesh K. Pardeshi, while for Italy, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation coordinated a delegation of high-level representatives of the Ministries and Institutions most involved in the coordination of policies for the management and attraction of regular flows of foreign workers to Italy, such as the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Labour and Social Policies with Sviluppo Lavoro Italia S.p.A, Ministries of Health, Education and Merit and University and Research.
After an opening speech in memory of the Indian farm labourer Satnam Singh, a wide range of issues were discussed, with both Governments being aware of the great potential opened up by the Agreement. During the meeting, the mandate and operating rules of the Joint Working Group, which will meet annually, were also defined.