[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The refugee rescue ship 'Ocean Viking,' which rescued 234 migrants in the central Mediterranean, docked at the port of Toulon, France, on the 11th (local time). Previously, the Ocean Viking drifted in the Mediterranean for three weeks after Italy and Malta refused to allow it to dock. France and Italy clashed fiercely over the issue of allowing the Ocean Viking to dock, and the British BBC reported that relations between France and Italy have become the worst since 2019.
The conflict between France and Italy in early 2019, pointed out by the BBC, also had the refugee acceptance issue as one of its roots.
In January 2019, Luigi Di Maio, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Industry of Italy, met directly with the leadership of France's Yellow Vest protests, which had started as a backlash against fuel tax hikes and evolved into an anti-government movement, expressing solidarity. The French government summoned the Italian ambassador for the first time since World War II, citing interference in domestic affairs, leading to a sharp conflict between the two countries. This was the peak of the ongoing clashes between the French and Italian governments following the 2018 Italian general election.
When a populist government centered on the Five Star Movement was formed after the 2018 Italian general election, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern that populist forces were spreading across Europe like leprosy. Matteo Salvini, then Deputy Prime Minister of the newly formed Italian government, retorted that France should first accept refugees. Salvini, who took an extremely hardline stance on the refugee issue, continuously engaged in verbal disputes with President Macron over the matter. When the Yellow Vest protests occurred, Italy's support for the protests escalated the controversy into an issue of interference in domestic affairs.
The conflict between the two countries was patched up following a phone call between French President Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella in February 2019. However, the issue flared up again over the Ocean Viking refugee ship.
The conflict between France and Italy reflects the refugee issue Europe faces. While refugees should be accepted from a humanitarian perspective, the social and economic costs are significant, and no one wants to take responsibility, resulting in a blame game.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview regarding this incident, "The country where the rescue ship is registered should take responsibility for the refugees on board," adding, "Otherwise, the ship would be nothing but a pirate ship." Since the controversial Ocean Viking is a vessel chartered by the French maritime relief organization SOS M?diterran?e, she argues that France should take responsibility. On the other hand, G?rald Darmanin, French Minister of the Interior, claimed that since the Ocean Viking was in Italy's search and rescue zone, Italy should have allowed it to dock.
The root causes of Europe's large-scale refugee crisis are the Islamic State (IS) and the Syrian civil war. Italy, along with Greece, has become a major entry point for victims of the Syrian civil war entering Europe, which differentiates Italy's stance on refugee issues from other European countries.
European countries agreed to redistribute refugees once Italy allowed refugee ships to dock, but this agreement has not been properly upheld.
Matteo Piantedosi, Italy's Minister of the Interior, pointed out that although 13 EU countries promised to accept 8,000 migrants who landed in Italy this year, only 117 migrants have been redistributed so far, with France accepting only 38.
The European Union (EU) has held several discussions to resolve the refugee issue, but no suitable solution has emerged due to conflicting national interests.
The British daily Financial Times published a column on the 5th stating that it is time to admit there is no solution to the immigration issue. It criticized politicians' claims to solve immigration problems as deceiving voters.
In reality, social problems caused by increasing immigrants are growing in Europe. In Sweden, which maintains one of the most generous immigration policies in Europe alongside Germany, gun incidents have surged recently. In the September general election, the far-right Sweden Democrats, which stirred anti-immigration sentiment, made a strong showing, leading to the return of a conservative government after eight years. Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie ?kesson once claimed in a debate that "Muslim immigration is Sweden's biggest external threat since World War II."
Giorgia Meloni, Italy's first female prime minister, also advocates strong immigration control, arguing that Italy should not refuse refugee ships from docking but should prevent migrants from departing North Africa.
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