Rome, 12 June 2024 – In a recent speech, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni raised concerns about a disproportionate number of applications for work permits coming from Campania, underlining how these migratory flows can be used by crime as a channel for irregular immigration . In response, Michele Cutolo, provincial president of the Christian Workers Movement in Naples and national vice-president of the organization, clarified that the management of applications for authorization is the responsibility of the prefectures and the Ministry of the Interior, exempting the Regions from responsibility regarding the controls .
According to the data provided, 109,716 applications for work authorization were submitted in Campania, a number five times higher than that of regions such as Lazio or Veneto. Meloni defined these numbers as “alarming”, indicating them as a sign of potential abuse of the flow decree system by organized crime.
Cutolo responded to the accusations by underlining how the significant presence of Bangladeshi and Indian communities in some areas of the Neapolitan province, such as Palma Campania, Poggiomarino and Terzigno, is not a new phenomenon. This trend, in fact, has been growing exponentially for over a decade, following a pattern already observed in the early 2000s with Chinese communities. According to Cutolo, it is surprising that the problem is only being raised now, given that the high number of requests from Campania is a consolidated figure over the years, not a recent anomaly due to the flow decrees.
A crucial element of the issue concerns the application verification process. The prefectures have 20 days to ascertain the existence and necessity of the requesting company, but the enormous quantity of applications received during the click day makes this control practically impossible. Cutolo highlighted that the current system is not adequate to manage such a high volume of requests in such a short time.
Prime Minister Meloni brought the issue to the attention of the national anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Melillo, highlighting the improper use of the flow decrees by crime. However, Cutolo maintains that a flow of controlled immigration, with well-structured social integration paths, should be facilitated and not hindered. His position highlights the need to reform the application management system to make it more efficient and less vulnerable to possible abuse, rather than condemning an entire region a priori based on numbers that reflect a consolidated reality and not an anomaly .
In conclusion, while Meloni’s concerns regarding possible abuses of the system are legitimate, it is essential to adopt a balanced approach that considers the demographic and social dynamics of different regions. The question raised invites us to reflect on the need for a more robust and efficient system for the management of migratory flows, which can guarantee security without unfairly penalizing those who seek to integrate and contribute to Italian society.
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