The new decree reinforces the powers of the ministry of the interior onimmigration and aims to put an end to NGO rescue missions in the central Mediterranean. Italy’s populist government has repeatedly declared Italian waters closed to NGO rescue vessels. Without rescue boats, the number of shipwrecks is likely to rise dramatically. Of the 10 NGO rescue boats that were active in the Mediterranean, only one operated by the German organisation Sea-Watch remains. The new bill follows another controversial security decree approved by the Italian parliament in December 2018 targeting asylum rights.

Source: The Guardian June 15, 2019 15:00 UTC