Meloni’s Migration Policies Face Legal Hurdles and Economic Adjustments

Giorgia Meloni’s 2022 election victory hinged on a hard‑line stance on irregular migration, a promise that has shaped her government’s priorities. Since taking office, the administration has pursued a flagship project to establish a migrant processing centre in Albania, a plan that has repeatedly stalled in Italian courts over legal and logistical concerns. Meanwhile, the government has issued roughly half a million additional work visas for the 2026‑2029 period, a pragmatic response to labour shortages and business demands that signals a shift from rhetoric to policy.

The Albanian centre has become a focal point of debate, with critics arguing that the legal hurdles undermine the project’s feasibility while supporters claim it will streamline migration flows and reduce pressure on Italy’s borders. The visa programme, meanwhile, reflects a more flexible approach to migration, balancing Meloni’s hard‑line image with the economic realities of a labour‑scarce market. This dual strategy has opened a political window on the right, attracting voices that see the current policy as insufficiently stringent.

Former army general Roberto Vannacci has emerged as a prominent challenger, advocating an even tougher approach and openly calling for the “remigration” of migrants. His stance highlights the growing faction within the right that seeks to push the government’s migration policy further. Whether Meloni’s pragmatic adjustments will satisfy her base or provoke a more radical shift remains a key question for Italian politics in the coming months.