the court of ministers agrees with Salvini

Rome, Nov 27 – La responsibility for assigning a "safe haven" to ships with immigrants rescued at sea lies with the "First Contact State". And "the state of first contact can only identify itself with that of the ship that provided the rescue". Therefore, if a boat that has collected immigrants flies the German flag, it is to Germany that it has to turn to get the landing. So the Rome ministers' tribunal spoke on charges of omission of official duties and abuse of office brought against the former interior minister Matteo Salvini and of the head of Gabinetto Matteo Piantedosi, for having denied the landing to the 65 illegal immigrants who were on board the German ship Alan Kurdi, of the NGO Sea Eye, last April.

"The legislation does not offer solutions when the coasts are too far"

According to what the Corriere della Sera, "The absence of clear precepts applicable to the matter does not allow us to identify, with reference to the hypothesized, undue refusal to indicate Pos (Place of safety), precise legal obligations violated by the suspects, and consequently to bring back their behavior in criminal cases ”. The Roman court also points out that when – as in the case of Alan Kurdi, and as often happens – the coasts of that country are too far away, "the legislation does not offer suitable preceptive solutions for the purpose of an effective intervention aimed at protecting the safety of migrants in danger ”.

For Salvini no offense and no trial

And if Matteo Salvini had exulted at the news of the filing – "Finally, a court recognizes that blocking unauthorized landings is not a crime", He had declared – now the reasons for the measure will only increase the satisfaction of the former minister. Yes, because laws are inadequate in this matter, and everything is left to "a concrete and effective cooperation between the States concerned which, until now, is in fact written only on paper". No crime, no trial, then.

Adolfo Spezzaferro