Grande-Marlaska begins a round of international meetings with his Italian counterpart to prepare for the Spanish presidency of the EU

2023.2.3

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This meeting marked the beginning of the international round of discussions that Minister Grande-Marlaska will hold during the first six months of the year to prepare for the Spanish presidency of the EU. The round will continue next week, specifically on Thursday, when the minister is scheduled to meet his German counterpart, Nancy Faeser, in Berlin.

According to Grande-Marlaska, the aim of the meeting in Rome, the first bilateral meeting with Piantedosi since he took office on 22 October, was to "listen and take good note" of the Italian position on the department's affairs "to try to seek the consensus that the EU needs".

The Spanish Minister for Home Affairs told his Italian counterpart that he considers Italy a key European partner with whom he shares both common concerns and a presence in international fora such as the Med5 Group, of which both countries are members along with Greece, Cyprus and Malta.

Victims of terrorism

Regarding the fight against terrorism, Grande-Marlaska informed the Italian minister that during the Spanish presidency special attention will be paid to the Sahel and North Africa, and that work will be done to increase and improve institutional support and protection for the victims of terrorism.

In this area of the fight against terrorism, and in the fight against organised crime, Spain and Italy "share interests in view of the risk they pose to the values and functioning of our society; to the security, well-being and fundamental rights of our citizens, and to the protection of the rule of law and our economies", said Grande-Marlaska.

European Pact on Migration and Asylum

Another of the issues addressed at the meeting between the two European ministers was European migration policy, which will be another focus of the Spanish Presidency of the EU, and regarding which Spain and Italy again defend similar positions in favour of a European Pact on Migration and Asylum that places the emphasis on the external dimension and on cooperation with the countries of origin and transit of irregular migratory flows.

"In relation to this pact, Italy and Spain, together with the other members of the MED5, have maintained a united and strong position that has been fundamental in the negotiations", recalled Grande-Marlaska, who added that both countries share the need for the EU to equip itself with an effective and supportive instrument for the equitable distribution of responsibility for those reaching European territory.

Other issues addressed by Grande-Marlaska and Piantedosi at their meeting this Friday were cybercrime, an area where the objectives of the Spanish Presidency of the EU are to consolidate an open and secure cyberspace through progress in cybersecurity and the creation of more robust digital environments.

The two ministers also discussed the war in Ukraine and its consequences. Spain and Italy face a double challenge: the response to and care of the people already received and the reception of new refugees who may be forced to leave their country should the conflict evolve unfavourably.

The two ministers also discussed the growing challenge for both countries and the EU as a whole posed by man-made and natural disasters, in particular those resulting from climate change. Grande-Marlaska informed his counterpart that the Spanish presidency will seek to reinforce the response capacities of both national and Community Civil Protection services to advance in the construction of a 'Europe that Protects' citizens.

Non official translation