"Italy, Europe, the EU and the full planet cannot consider their future without considering Africa. Our future inevitably depends on the future of the African continent" – said the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of the far-right Italian Brothers organization at the end of January. In these words, the Italian-African summit in Rome, attended by the president of the EU institutions and delegations of 46 African countries, – Presidents of Senegal, Tunisia, Kenya, Congo and Somalia, among others.
The basis for cooperation between continents is to be promoted by the Italian government's alleged Mattei plan, which Meloni mentioned at the UN gathering last year. At the time, she argued that the fresh task could "introduce an alternate to mass migration", in the form of vocational training in countries of origin or legal migration paths.
During the January summit, more light fell on the plan. 1 could see how far Meloni's ambitions in the context of abroad and migration policy were advanced.
The plan includes, inter alia, the energy and economical partnership, and further support in the agricultural, education and wellness sectors. Thanks to this, Meloni convinces, young Africans will not gotta leave their countries for Europe in search of work and decent life.
The Prime Minister of Italy intends to contribute €5.5 billion for this purpose.
At first glance, Mattei's plan seems like a generous motion by an Italian politician. – But it's just appearances. In fact, Giorgia Meloni wants to accomplish 2 main objectives – halt people from reaching the borders of Italy and, through access to African deposits, make Italy an energy hub of Europe.
Use the crisis
Giorgia Meloni took office in October 2022 and has chosen an anti-immigrant course from the very beginning, while conducting talks with African leaders. Her actions are supported by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who, at the Rome Summit, ensured that Mattei's plan perfectly fits into the European Global Gateway strategy of 2021, consisting in investing in infrastructure projects in the world. “This is our plan for Africa” – This is the head of the EC.
Von der Leyen besides stressed the importance of stopping smugglers' activities on migration routes and developing legal routes to Europe. That's what she said last September, visiting Lampedusa at Meloni's invitation. At that time, the island authorities were alarmed about respective 1000 people who arrived from Tunisia and Libya.
The tiny Lampedusa has only 6,000 inhabitants, so it was a challenge to bear the aid and accommodation for specified a large number of foreigners. But it's not the first time the island faced increased immigration. Lampedusa is located in a strategical place in the Mediterranean Sea – is the first part of Europe on the alleged Central Mediterranean migration route.
Meloni decided to usage this minute to conquer the subject of migration. The promise to limit the number of people reaching Italy had a major impact on the triumph of the coalition with its organization headed in 2022. Therefore, from the beginning of their governments criminalized activities of NGOs saving people at sea and postulating introduction of maritime blockade.
Financing of regimes
Ursula von der Leyen has akin ambitions. During the visit, she presented a 10-point plan for Lampedusa, which promised, among another things, to velocity up return to countries of origin and to support relocation to another EU countries on a voluntary basis.
The final point of the plan is the immediate implementation of the EU-Tunisia Pact. The pact, which was concluded on 16 July 2023 by Giorgia Meloni and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte with president Kais Said of Tunisia.
Both parties have committed to ‘to combat illegal migration in order to avoid the failure of human lives’, to support abroad return to Tunisia and to make legal migration paths. All this is to be done with respect for human rights – Which is hard to believe, given president Said's dictatorial urges. Moreover, human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have warned that Tunisian services have been "severe abuses against black African migrants, refugees and asylum seekers".
European politicians turn a blind eye to this. Regardless of what happens next to migrants, they can pay a lot to halt migration to Europe. The agreement obliges the EU to supply Tunisia with EUR 105 million and EUR 150 million of budget support and EUR 900 million of long-term assistance.
However, this is not the first time that Europe has spent immense amounts of money to halt people from reaching the Old Continent, signing further agreements with African regimes. Previously, specified agreements were concluded with Turkey, Morocco and Libya, among others. – condemning migrants and refugees to violence, slavery and death at sea.
Partnership or neocolonialism?
Against this background, Mattei's plan seems more thoughtful and humanitarian. Meloni stressed that in the case of emigration from Africa, it is essential to guarantee the improvement of countries in specified a way that they can keep future generations at home thanks to their work and education opportunities. Unlike the agreements referred to above, the Mattei plan would reduce the scale of migration to Europe in the long term, offering a fishing rod to societies and their governments.
Although agreements with Libya and Tunisia have besides promised to aid make the economy, the main nonsubjective has always been to support border services in the capture of migrants. In this respect, at least at first glance, Mattei announces a fresh approach in Italy's migration policy.
However, according to any experts and experts, they are only appearances. Moreover, they believe that the Meloni task is, in fact, another installment of the colonial urges of Europe to draw on African natural materials. This is already indicated by the name of the Mattei plan, which came from the name Enrico Mattei, the founder of the Italian energy company ENI, which engaged in cooperation with African countries.
"Thanks to the construction of fresh pipelines, Italy would become an exporter of both natural gas and hydrogen to countries specified as Germany and Austria, as well as a gateway linking North Africa to the countries of Central and North Europe" –write experts from the Italian Institute of global Affairs.
One of the main suppliers of energy resources to Italy would be Algeria, to which Meloni traveled last year. If everything goes as planned, Algeria will replace Russia, which in the situation of war in Ukraine is an uncertain and increasingly costly supplier.
Prior to criticism, the head of the Italian Government announced at its January summit that cooperation with African countries must be based on equality, distant from “grabbing temptations” and charitable activities that “rarely take account of the continent’s unique improvement potential.”
However, at least any African leaders approach the plan skeptically. president of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat pointed out at the summit that it would be better if, before the public presentation of its concept, Italy consulted her partners.
"We are not satisfied with promises that stay unfulfilled," he said, "Africa does not gotta hold hands all the time, we are not beggars. Africa advocates changing the paradigm to a fresh partnership model to pave the way for a more just and coherent planet and build peace through relationship alternatively than barriers."
The plan besides criticises the Italian opposition, which emphasizes that its aim is to rob Africa of natural resources.
Despite the assurances of equal cooperation for Melona, it seemed more crucial to agree on Mattei's plan with Italian energy companies than with the African side. On her travels to Africa, she was accompanied from the beginning by her current president Eni, Claudio Descalzi.
– Practically all energy companies, which belong to or are partially owned by our state, are included in Mattei's plan. They were in Rome erstwhile the Prime Minister announced this plan, unlike African and Italian civilian society and Italian NGOs, she commented on the political criticism of Brando Ricci, a writer for the Italian magazine "Nigrizia", focusing on African issues.
What's next?
Ricci points out that most of the €5.5 billion to be transferred to African partners under the Mattei Plan comes from the Italian climate fund. Does this mean that all energy projects created under the plan will be in line with the Paris Agreement? According to Ricci, it's unlikely.
At the COP27 summit, the Italian Prime Minister said that "we must make energy by diversifying it in close cooperation with African countries", and argued that decarbonisation was necessary. However, she did not mention that more and more migration – Although so far inside Africa – is due to climate change, for which the majority of the countries of the global North are responsible. The same ones that immigration effort to halt at all costs.
So far, questions about Mattei's plan are more than answers. A period has passed since the Italy–Africa Summit and Meloni has inactive not presented the authoritative document. According to prof. Valeria Ferraris, an expert on migration from the University of Turin, the focus of the plan is to distract the public from unfulfilled electoral promises specified as early retirement or lower taxes.
– Overall, agreements with African countries are based on providing money and support in exchange for the capture and disposal of illegal migrants. Everything else is just empty words, no specifics. – Ricci thinks.
So far, Mattei’s plan has mixed feelings among African partners. Time will show whether Melona's ambitions will be realised and Italy will build a strong position in Africa and limit migration to Europe. To the joy of the EC chief and the tragedy of many thousands of migrant people.
