Italy approves new bill to tighten immigration, enable 'naval blockades'

Italy's conservative government led by Premier Giorgia Meloni has approved a bill introducing new measures aimed at fighting illegal immigration, including a so-called "naval blockade" for migrant ships trying to reach Italian shores.

A cabinet meeting in the late Wednesday afternoon gave the go-ahead to the bill, which now needs to be discussed and approved in both chambers of parliament before becoming effective.

Italy's new migration package - which also includes stricter surveillance at borders and cooperation with European agencies - comes a day after the approval of the new EU pact on migration and asylum, which Rome plans to implement swiftly.

The package includes new powers that would enable Italian authorities to impose a naval blockade on migrant ships trying to enter Italy's territorial waters, under certain conditions.

Authorities can ban the crossing into Italian waters for up to 30 days, in cases in which the migrant ship poses "serious threats to public order or ...