Salvini is on trial for obstructing the docking of a migrant ship in an Italian port Salvini is on trial for obstructing the docking of a migrant ship in an Italian port

Salvini is on trial for obstructing the docking of a migrant ship in an Italian port


Salvini is on trial for obstructing the docking of a migrant ship in an Italian port


Former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini will stand trial Saturday in Palermo, Sicily, for his role in preventing the Open Arms rescue ship from docking in an Italian port in 2019.

Prosecutors accuse Salvini of abuse of power and deprivation of liberty, after he prevented a Spanish relief ship from entering a port in August 2019 during his tenure as Minister of the Interior.

The leader of the right-wing League could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

It is noteworthy that Salvini was Minister of the Interior from June 2018 to September 2019 in the first government of former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Salvini took a stance that was considered hard-line against immigration.

EU leaders hail Merkel at her latest possible summit

European counterparts lined up for outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday to pay tribute to her in what could be the last summit of a conservative champion after nearly 16 years in office.

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg described the German chancellor as a "great European" while Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Battle of Luxembourg called her a "leveling machine".
The second day of talks in Brussels was devoted to digital policy and migration. But Merkel's final summit - which depends on the outcome of the ongoing German coalition negotiations - looked relatively unremarkable.

 European Council President Charles Michel said that a European summit without outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be like "Paris without the Eiffel Tower" or "Rome without the Vatican", praising her during what may be her last summit with the bloc. 

Comparing her to a "pylon", Michel said that "her departure from the European scene touches us all politically, but also fills us with emotion." The former Belgian prime minister said that (Merkel's) "extreme stoicism and simplicity" was a "very powerful weapon of seduction," adding "a compass and a point of light for our European project." His words were met with standing ovations, according to a European source familiar with the talks.

A dinner late on Thursday yielded no breakthrough on energy prices or a rule of law dispute with Poland.
Merkel is known as a skilled deal-maker, with the ability to win the approval of all 27 member states and make important decisions despite fierce disagreements.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said Merkel was a "fantastic politician" who intervened at "the decisive moments and helped us find a solution," citing last year's tough negotiations on the EU's long-term budget and the joint post-pandemic recovery fund as an example of Merkel's approach.

Despite the praises, other leaders have at times sharply criticized Merkel. Hungary and Poland criticized Merkel for her relatively liberal stance during a massive refugee influx in 2015, and her name is closely associated with the unpopular austerity policies in an era of debt crises in Greece and Italy.

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post