Meloni's Italy: Fortress Europe?

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: FACT OR FAKE © FRANCE 24 04:12 Issued on: 24/07/2026 - 12:54 From the show Migration was at the heart of Giorgia Meloni's successful 2022 election campaign. Promising a tougher approach to irregular migration helped propel her to power, but what has her government achieved since then? One of its flagship policies was the creation of a controversial migrant processing centre in Albania. Yet the plan has repeatedly run into legal obstacles in Italy, raising questions about whether it can deliver on its promises. At the same time, Meloni has had to balance her hardline rhetoric with economic realities. Faced with labour shortages and pressure from businesses, her government has authorised around half a million additional work visas for the 2026–2029 period. Has Meloni's migration policy proved more pragmatic than her supporters expected? Whatever the answer, it has created political space on her right. One of the most prominent challengers is former army general Roberto Vannacci, who advocates an even tougher approach to immigration and openly calls for the "remigration" of migrants. Luke Brown reports. EUROPE © FRANCE 24