Italy’s Chamber of Deputies has voted in favor of renewing the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on migration with Libya, reaffirming Rome’s cooperation with Tripoli in curbing irregular migration across the Central Mediterranean.
The proposal, presented by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s center-right coalition, passed on Wedneaday with 153 votes in favor, 112 against, and nine abstentions. The resolution calls on the government to proceed with renewing the agreement, which provides support to Libyan authorities in managing migration routes toward Europe.
All members of the governing coalition, including Brothers of Italy, the League, Forza Italia, and We Moderates, voted in favor of the measure.
The opposition, led by the Democratic Party, rejected it, warning that continued cooperation with Libya enables migrant abuses and violates international law.
Center-left parties had introduced an alternative motion urging the government to suspend all technical, financial, and operational cooperation with Libya, arguing that such activities contribute to the forced return of migrants in breach of the non-refoulement principle, which prohibits sending people back to places where they risk persecution or inhumane treatment.
Originally signed in 2017, the Italy-Libya MoU is automatically renewed every three years unless either party formally withdraws. The agreement covers training, logistical support, and funding for Libya’s Coast Guard and border management institutions — initiatives that human rights organizations say have resulted in mass interceptions and returns of migrants to detention centers, where reports of torture and exploitation are widespread.
