REPEAT: MNI INT'W: Italy Lega Pledges End of Schengen Era

Repeats Story Initially Transmitted at 07:20 GMT Apr 10/03:20 EST Apr 10

--Lega Will Use An 'Iron Fist' Against Migration Issue 

By Les Commons

     ROME (MNI) - Italian centre-right coalition leaders Lega have pledged to

abolish the Schengen Treaty and recover national borders with strong domestic

controls, a senior party official told MNI in an exclusive interview. 

     Nicola Molteni, Lega's migration spokesman, argued that the European

Union's migratory policies have failed and a new approach was needed. "Europe

isn't the solution to the immigration emergency, it's the problem," he said,

adding that rather than boosting policy convergence, countries need to unwind it

and take power back. 

     "There is no real, efficient European migration policy that has worked so

far. All treaties handling migrant inflows, starting from the Dublin Treaty,

need be dismantled and totally re-written," he said.  

     --END SCHENGEN

     In his view Frontex, the EU agency that coordinates border control across

the bloc, is "totally helpless" and needs an overhaul, while the Schengen Treaty

has "no future".  

     "It makes sense having free circulation and no internal borders only if

external frontiers are well protected -- and that is not the case," said

Molteni. 

     Lega, as leaders of the centre right coalition, are expected to be a pillar

of the future government. They have pledged to adopt an "iron fist" with

migrants, following the example of Hungary and Austria, both of whom Molteni

sees as defending their borders.

     "If all levels of intervention fail -- international and European -- then

member states must recover lost sovereignty and adopt tight rules that benefit

them," he argued. 

     All across Europe, member states are introducing nationalist migrant

policies, even France and Germany, where new asylum procedures have been

implemented, said Molteni.

     French border police recently encroached onto Italian territory to track

down a group of migrants, he stressed, and we "should be able to do the same to

defend our interests and towns".

     --TURN BACK ON BRUSSELS

     "We will not be servile anymore, bend the knee nor go cap in hand to

Brussels if we govern Italy: EU diktats are over. The quota allocation scheme

has turned out to be a farce and Italy is in fact the greatest migrant door to

Europe, yet we receive ridiculous funding".

     Lega's first anti-migrant moves once in power would include boosting funds

for the repatriation of illegal migrants and extending detention times inside

compulsory refugee centres in Italy from the current 90 days to 18 months.

     "At the European level, but also nationally, we need to boost dialogue and

reinforce bilateral deals between Europe and migrants' countries of origin. That

is the only way to solve the situation: refugees need to forward asylum requests

in their home countries," Molteni said. 

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com