Abstract

The Italian government is struggling to cope with its electoral promises of fierce opposition against landings of asylum seekers on Italian shores: what is presented as the problem of immigration. Actually, immigration is stable in Italy since about twelve years. Landings have increased, but the asylum applications in Italy in 2022 were about 8% of the total in the EU. Germany, France, Spain and Austria have received most applications than Italy. Furthermore, the Italian government applies three immigration policies: harsh closure, at least announced, against asylum seekers coming from the global South; liberal reception of Ukrainian refugees (170,000 in 2022, about 40% of the refugee population); and new openings towards workers, with a decree authorizing 450,000 new entries in the next three years.