Italy: Defense Minister Guido Crosetto fights against the federal government

THE MIRROR Italy: Defense Minister Guido Crosetto fights against the federal government Article by Katja Iken • 18 mins Rome is outraged about German financial aid for civilian sea rescuers: Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto expressed sharp criticism of the federal government in an interview. Italy: Defense Minister Guido Crosetto fights against the federal government In the dispute over German financial aid for non-governmental organizations that look after boat migrants in Italy, the right-wing government in Rome is taking an increasingly harsh tone against Berlin. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto spoke in the newspaper “La Stampa” of “very serious” behavior. "Berlin acts as if it doesn't know that it is causing problems for a country that it is theoretically 'friends' with," says Crosetto. The politician belongs to the ultra-right largest government party, Fratelli d’Italia. Crosetto was horrified by the German behavior: “This is their answer to our request for help? We did not behave this way when Angela Merkel convinced the EU to invest billions of euros in Turkey to prevent the arrival of refugees from the Middle East in Germany. What characterizes Europe's behavior in migration policy is "the ideological approach of a certain left wing that does not take into account the consequences of its theories for people," says Crosetto: "It is a Europe that often sides with strategy or timing wrong.” Protest also came from the smaller coalition partner Lega. Rome sees it as interference in domestic Italian affairs that the federal government wants to support aid organizations that look after migrants on Italian soil. The Foreign Office pointed out on Friday that this was implementing a decision by the Bundestag. The first money - between 400,000 and 800,000 euros each - should be paid out "shortly" to a project for supply on land and a project for rescue at sea. One of the organizations is SOS Humanity. The issue of migration and the work of private German aid organizations in the Mediterranean have long led to tensions between Rome and Berlin, even during the times of previous governments. Meloni had announced tough measures during the election campaign to reduce the number of boat migrants arriving in Italy. In fact, more than 130,000 boat refugees have been registered since the beginning of the year, twice as many as in the same period in 2022. More than 10,000 people arrived on the small island of Lampedusa alone this month.