Italy has pledged to reward countries that actively cooperate in tackling irregular migration by granting them higher legal entry quotas, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed this week.
Speaking after a meeting in Rome on September 17 with Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Piantedosi said Italy’s migration policy was shifting toward building a sustainable system of legal migration. The two ministers had also met earlier in May in Islamabad to discuss migration quotas and the creation of safer, legal pathways for workers.
“We are working on a new policy for migration flows that looks to the future of legal migration,” Piantedosi said. He explained that from 2026 to 2028, Italy would offer additional quotas to nations that collaborate in preventing illegal migration, with Pakistan highlighted as a key partner.
The discussions were built on the Memorandum on Migration and Mobility, signed during Piantedosi’s May visit to Pakistan. That agreement, he said, was now evolving into a stronger framework for cooperation, aimed at both combating human smugglers and expanding training opportunities for workers before departure.
Piantedosi also praised Pakistan’s awareness campaigns designed to warn citizens about the risks of irregular migration, describing them as an example of shared responsibility. “I shared with the Pakistani Minister the zero tolerance approach for illegal migration, and I appreciated the numerous initiatives the government of Islamabad has undertaken,” he noted.
On the same day, Piantedosi appeared on Italian television, stressing that repatriation centers in Albania would remain necessary and would play a role in Europe’s broader migration framework. Albania, he said, is both an EU candidate country and a partner in shaping Europe’s migration strategy.
Looking ahead, Piantedosi reminded viewers that new EU migration regulations are expected to take effect in 2026, resolving judicial hurdles that have slowed Italy’s full use of facilities in Albania. He suggested that Italy’s approach, which balances deterrence against smugglers with incentives for legal migration, could become a model for Europe.
The minister also highlighted what he described as positive results from his government’s policies. According to Piantedosi, migrant arrivals fell sharply compared to previous years, with a 60% decrease compared to 2023. However, he added that arrivals remain too high and continue to provide profits for criminal smuggling networks.
Despite these challenges, Piantedosi expressed confidence that Italy’s combination of legal quotas, international cooperation, and stricter controls would shape a more effective and humane migration system in the years ahead.