One advocacy organisation warned that the action may endanger lives. Italy's right-wing government has authorised steps to punish charities who save migrants at sea and impounded their ships if they infringe a new, stricter set of laws.
These ships should request a port and head there "without delay" after a rescue, according to a cabinet directive adopted late on Wednesday and seen by Reuters, rather than continuing to search for more migrant boats in difficulty.
Currently, charity boat missions—or those of non-governmental organisations (NGOs)—in the central Mediterranean often take a few days, during which time they carry out various rescue operations and frequently hundreds of people.
The order said that the people on board the NGOs' ships must be made aware of their right to request international protection from any location inside the European Union.
It further stated that repeat infractions could result in the vessel being impounded. Captains who violate these laws run the danger of paying fines of up to 50,000 euros ($53,175).
Since assuming office in October, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration has focused on the activity of maritime rescue organisations, accusing them of aiding human traffickers in their operations in the midst of a spike in arrivals.
The charities deny the charges.
The edict is a component of a policy that "increases the risk of death for thousands of people," according to Riccardo Gatti, captain of a rescue ship operated by the Doctors Without Borders Charity, who made the statement to daily la Repubblica on Thursday.
He claimed that the regulations making it more challenging to do numerous rescues would violate international treaties and were "ethically unacceptable."
According to data from the interior ministry, around 104,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far in 2022, down from a peak of more than 181,000 in 2016 and about 67,000 during the same time last year.
According to a document from Matteo Piantedosi's office, just 10% of immigrants who landed in Italy in 2022 were carried ashore by NGO boats.
It further claimed that these vessels served as a "pull factor" for those risky Mediterranean crossings from Libya. The NGOs claim that data demonstrates that their presence at sea does not tempt people to leave.
In the virtually borderless European Union, the issue of how to handle immigration has been a source of conflict for many years. EU partners must accept more migrants coming on their coasts, according to Italy and Spain, where the majority of boats dock.
Rome's refusal to allow a charity boat carrying about 200 people to land in its ports led to the boat sailing to France, which led to a diplomatic dispute between Italy and France in November.
