G7 leaders tackle the issue of migration on the second day of their summit in Italy

BARI, Italy– Leaders of the Group of Seven major industrialized countries are turning their attention to migration on the second day of their summit on Friday, looking for ways to combat trafficking and increase investment in the countries from which Immigrants undertake journeys that often endanger their lives..

The meeting at a luxury resort in The Apulia region of southern Italy Other important issues are also being discussed, such as financial support to Ukrainethe war in Gaza, artificial intelligence and climate change, as well as China’s industrial policy and economic security.

But some divisions also appeared to emerge over the wording of the summit’s final declaration, with disagreement reported over the inclusion of a reference to abortion.

Migration is of particular interest to summit host Italy, which is on one of the main routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in AfricaMiddle East and Asia.

Right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, known for her hardline stance on the issue, has shown herself willing to increase Investment and financing for African nations. as a means of reducing migratory pressure on Europe.

Italy “wanted to dedicate ample space to another continent that is fundamental for the future of all of us, which is Africa, with its difficulties, its opportunities,” Meloni said at the summit’s opening Thursday.

“Linked to Africa, and not only to Africa, there is another fundamental issue that Italy has put at the center of the presidency, which is the question of migration, the increasingly worrying role that trafficking organizations are assuming, clearly exploiting the desperation of human rights. beings,” she said.

Meloni has a controversy Five-year agreement with neighboring Albania for the Balkan country to host thousands of asylum seekers while Italy processes their applications. He has also headed the “Mattei Plan” for Africa, a continental strategy to increase domestic economic opportunities and thus discourage migration to Europe.

More than 22,000 people have arrived in Italy by sea so far in 2024, according to UNHCR figures. In 2023, more than 157,000 arrived and almost 2,000 died or went missing while trying to cross the dangerous Mediterranean.

The United States has also been struggling with a growing number of migrants at its southern border. president joe Biden introduced new policies to stop migration after a bill he tried to pass in Congress did not pass.

However, immigrant rights advocates filed lawsuits Thursday over the new policies and it is unclear whether they can withstand legal challenges in U.S. courts.

Addressing migration “is a common challenge,” European Council President Charles Michel said after arriving at the summit.

“This is the route we intend to implement, together with our partners: this coalition to fight against smugglers, these criminal groups that abuse (vulnerable people) to make money and destabilize regions and countries around the world. ”He added.

In addition to the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States), the Italian hosts have also invited several African leaders: the Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebbounethe president of Kenya, William Ruto, and Tunisian President Kais Saied — to pressure Meloni’s migration and development initiatives.

Pope Francis will also become the first pontiff to address a G7 summit when he delivers a speech on artificial intelligence on Friday. Other guests include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The summit began on Thursday with a strong show of support for kyiv: an agreement reached on a US proposal to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral. Biden also signed a bilateral security agreement with Zelenskyy Thursday night, aiming to send a signal to Russia of American determination to support kyiv.

Describing it as a “truly historic day,” Zelenskyy said the agreement was “about security and therefore about the protection of human life.”

But some cracks appeared among G7 leaders, with French President Emmanuel Macron deploring the lack of reference to abortion in the summit’s draft outcome document.

The declaration following last year’s summit in Hiroshima, Japan, expressed a commitment to providing access to legal and safe abortion for women and girls, and pledged to uphold gender equality and women’s rights. members of the LGBTQ+ community.

But the Italian news agency ANSA, citing this year’s draft statement, said Thursday that the final document made no reference to abortion.

“I regret this,” Macron said, responding to a question on the issue from an Italian journalist. France “has included in its Constitution the right of women to abortion, the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body,” she said, adding that France defends “this vision of equality between women and men.”

“It is not a vision shared by the entire political spectrum,” Macron said. “I regret it, but I respect it because it was the sovereign choice of his people.”

Meloni, who campaigned under the slogan “God, faith and country,” has denied that he is rolling back the right to abortion, which has been legal in Italy since 1978. But the center-left opposition has warned that his initiatives are undermining those rights. , including giving pro-life groups access to women considering abortion.

According to ANSA, this year’s text says that the G7 “reiterates our commitment expressed in the final G7 Hiroshima communiqué to universal, adequate and sustainable access to health services for women, including the right to reproduction.”

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Associated Press writer Colleen Long in Borgo Egnazia, Italy, contributed to this report.