The Italian parliament voted on Wednesday to authorize the extension of “assistance to the Libyan institutions responsible for controlling maritime borders”.
The vote, which was held by the parliament’s Foreign and Defense Committees, was met with opposition from the country’s Democratic Party. Explaining the rational behind their opposition, most Democratic lawmakers cited the persistent abuse of migrants at the hands of Libyan Coast Guard.
“Last year we asked the Minister of the Interior for a decisive change in the mission in support of the Libyan coast guard, to make it more effective against traffickers and to protect human rights,” stated Democratic MP Lia Quartapelle via Twitter. “There was no change: today we did not vote for the mission”.
Extending assistance to the Libyan Coast Guard and Navy will cost Italy more than 11 million euros until 31 December 2022, as per the Italian parliament’s resolution.