Italy’s prime minister says her government will deploy every tool at its disposal to “guarantee the security of our borders” after approving a bill authorising naval blockades to stop boats from arriving in Italy during periods of “exceptional pressure”.
The bill is the latest step in the crackdown on irregular immigration by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government, which has included tough measures against charity rescue ships, harsher jail terms for human smugglers and schemes aimed at swiftly repatriating people.
Under the legislation, which needs to be approved by both houses of parliament, Italian authorities would have the power to ban boats from entering the country’s territorial waters for up to 30 days, extendable by up to six months, in situations of “serious threats to public order or national security”, such as terrorism.
The measure, which comes after hundreds of people are feared to have died while crossing the Mediterranean from north Africa during a recent powerful storm, also empowers authorities to impose the blockade during periods of dramatic increases in boat arrivals.
Those breaching the rules face fines of up to €50,000 (£43,500) and could have their boats confiscated in case of repeated violations – a measure targeted at the rescue ships. In such cases, the passengers on board could be transported to countries other than their country of origin that Italy has specific repatriation agreements with.
The European parliament this week approved changes to EU asylum rules in response to pressure from member states, including Italy, for a harsher approach.
In a video message on social media, Meloni said the legislation included measures to speed up the deportation of people convicted of crimes and expanded the cases that could result in expulsion, for example if a foreigner assaulted a police officer or was accused of slavery or domestic violence.
“If you want to live here, you need to respect the Italian laws,” Meloni said.
According to figures from Italy’s interior ministry, 66,296 people arrived by boat on Italian coastlines in 2025, a slight dip on the previous year but about half the number of arrivals in 2023, when Italy’s far-right government reinforced and enacted deals with Libya and Tunisia to stem the number of people.
Meloni said: “For all those who said it was impossible, I want to remind you that nothing is truly impossible for those who are determined to do something. And we are determined to guarantee the security of our borders and our citizens, and we will use every tool at our disposal to ensure it.”
