"Meloni's Immigration Conference Unites Italy's Regional Leaders"

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted a conference with Mediterranean leaders to discuss extending an EU-backed deal with Tunisia aimed at curbing the arrival of migrants in Europe. The conference laid the foundations for a fund to finance investment projects and support border controls, with a focus on regulating migratory flows. The United Arab Emirates pledged 100 million euros to the fund. Pope Francis appealed to the leaders to help migrants fleeing poverty and conflict. Italy and the European Commission have sought to engage with Tunisia to prevent emigration, and a memorandum of understanding was signed last week providing European aid and repatriation measures. The EU is also hoping for similar partnerships with Egypt and Morocco. Human rights groups and charities have criticized the deal, calling it a disregard for human rights and complicity in migrant abuses.