PARTNERS
Italy lies at the centre of the Mediterranean and often serves as a key entry point into Europe for people arriving by sea. For many migrants and asylum seekers, it represents their first encounter with European border controls and asylum systems.
However, Italy is not always the final destination. Many migrants move onwards to northern European countries in search of work, protection, or family members. Italy therefore occupies a dual position as both a country of arrival and a space of transit, placing it at the centre of debates about responsibility, mobility, and the management of Europe’s southern border.
Migration to Italy takes different forms and cannot be understood only through images of boats arriving on southern shores. While sea crossings receive the most public attention, they represent only one part of a broader system that also includes labour migration, family reunification, and movement within the European Union. The Central Mediterranean route connecting Libya and Tunisia to southern Italy remains particularly visible in political debates and media coverage. In 2024, sea arrivals decreased by around 58 percent, with approximately 66,600 people reaching Italy. Most departures were recorded from Libya and Tunisia. Those travelling this route come from diverse backgrounds, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Syria, and several Sub-Saharan African countries, showing that migration motivations often combine economic and humanitarian factors.
Alongside irregular arrivals, regular migration plays an important role in Italy’s demographic and economic landscape. In 2024, more than 380,000 foreign nationals officially moved to Italy, the highest figure in the past decade. These movements are largely connected to labour demand, demographic ageing, and family reunification. Several sectors of the Italian economy rely heavily on migrant workers, particularly agriculture, construction, care work, and service industries.
By early 2024, more than five million foreign residents were living in Italy, many concentrated in large urban centres such as Milan, Rome, and Turin, indicating long-term settlement.
The asylum system remains under significant pressure. In 2024, over 158,000 asylum applications were registered in Italy, placing the country among the main receiving states in the European Union. Processing delays mean that many applicants spend extended periods in reception facilities, creating administrative strain and sometimes generating tensions at the local level.
Migration governance in Italy is highly politicised. Labour migration is regulated through quotas and seasonal schemes, while asylum policy follows EU rules such as the Dublin system. In recent years, cooperation with North African governments has expanded to limit departures and externalise border control.
Taken together, Italy’s migration context shows that border management, labour demand, and protection obligations operate in constant interaction. Migration is therefore not limited to emergency sea arrivals but also involves long-term residence, employment, and integration into Italian society.
References
Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (Istat). (2025). Italy’s migration and demographic trends.
European Commission. (2024). Italy: Overview of migrant presence in cities.
Positioned at the southwestern edge of Europe, Spain is for many migrants the last border before the continent. For much of the twentieth century, it was a country of emigration; that changed with its entry into the European Economic Community in 1986. By the 2000s, it had become one of Europe’s main receiving countries.
Regular arrivals come mainly by air, while irregular crossings concentrate along the Western Mediterranean route and the West Africa Atlantic route to the Canary Islands. The Mediterranean corridor is largely crossed by Algerian and Moroccan nationals, while the Atlantic route brings high numbers from Mali, Senegal, and Guinea. A notable share of people without legal status entered as visa-free tourists from Latin America who overstayed.
People come to Spain for work, family reunification, and protection. In 2025 alone, Spain received over 144,000 asylum applications. The system was not designed for numbers like these, and processing times stretched into years.
The legal framework is anchored in Organic Law 4/2000. For those without legal status, the arraigo mechanism offers a path to residence after two to three years. In practice, it places the burden entirely on the migrant: find a willing employer, prove you have built a life here, and do all of this without legal recognition.
Spain links migration control to development assistance through bilateral agreements with Morocco, Mali, and Senegal. In theory, these agreements support economic development in origin countries. In practice, cooperation is often conditional on partners accepting returned migrants and tightening their own borders. Human rights organisations have documented pushbacks at the Moroccan border, including force used against people who had already reached Spanish territory.
Spain has long argued that it should not be left to manage Europe’s external border on its own. The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, adopted in 2024 after years of negotiations, was presented as the European Union’s response to this concern. The Pact reorganises responsibilities and introduces new procedures, but it does not resolve the deeper question of who ultimately bears the cost — in resources, political capital, and human terms. That question has largely been postponed rather than answered.
References
European Migration Network. (2023). Annual report on migration and asylum 2022.
Hooper, K. (2019). Spain’s labour migration policies in the aftermath of economic crisis. Migration Policy Institute Europe.
Caught between movement in and movement out, Romania stands at a crossroads of regional mobility and EU border politics. It functions simultaneously as a country of transit, a point of departure for its own citizens, and an emerging destination for asylum seekers, which shapes the scale and direction of migration flows through the country.
In recent years, Romania’s migration flows have shifted under the weight of external pressures and policy responses. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine marked a turning point, as Romania received tens of thousands of people under temporary protection, placing visible pressure on its reception system. Asylum applications have fluctuated, falling again in 2024 after earlier peaks. Legal migration, however, remains steady: around 52,000 long-term residence permits were issued to non-EU nationals in 2024. Romania’s gradual integration into the Schengen Area has added further pressure on the asylum system, illustrating how closely the country’s migration dynamics are tied to wider regional instability.
Romania’s migration policy balances EU obligations with limited national resources. While the country follows the Common European Asylum System and the Dublin Regulation, many migrants avoid formal registration as they move toward other EU destinations. At the same time, limited reception capacity leaves many asylum seekers waiting months for decisions and living in prolonged uncertainty with little access to housing, work, or integration.
At the same time, Romania remains a significant departure point for its own citizens. Economic migration continues to drive many Romanians to seek employment in Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom, largely due to economic disparities within the EU and higher wages abroad. Labor mobility is concentrated in sectors such as construction, healthcare, agriculture, and domestic services.
As an EU member state, Romania follows the Common European Asylum System and the Dublin Regulation, requiring asylum seekers to apply in the first EU country of entry. In practice, however, many migrants avoid formal registration while moving toward other EU destinations, creating pressure on border control. At the same time, Romania’s reception system has limited resources, leaving many asylum seekers waiting months for decisions and living in prolonged legal and institutional uncertainty.
Border enforcement has intensified in recent years, with increased surveillance, patrols, and occasional pushback practices at Romania’s southern and eastern borders. Experts note that stricter enforcement often redirects migrants toward more dangerous routes rather than preventing movement altogether. Romania therefore remains both a source of outward economic migration and a transit point for asylum seekers moving toward Western Europe. The gap between EU migration governance and Romania’s reception capacity leaves many migrants in prolonged uncertainty with limited protection and integration opportunities.
References
OECD (2025). International Migration Outlook 2025. OECD Publishing, Paris.
COLLABORATING ASSOCIATIONS
Archivio Memorie Migranti is a physical and virtual space for stories, self-narratives, and dialogues — bringing together those who have lived the experience of migration and wish to share it, and those who are eager to understand their journeys and reflections.
At its heart, AMM is a community of practice — a diverse and ever-growing group of people united by shared goals and multiple perspectives. Together, they collect testimonies and craft personal narratives, produce participatory audio and video projects, and develop educational materials that bring the lived experience of migration into classrooms, sparking empathy and curiosity in the next generation.
Arcigay is Italy’s leading LGBTI non-profit association and the largest in the country in terms of volunteer and activist membership. Since 1985, it has been at the forefront of the fight for equal rights, self-determination, and the dismantling of stereotypes and prejudices against LGBTI people, while standing firmly against all forms of discrimination. The association operates across Italy through a network of 74 local committees and member organizations, supported by thousands of volunteers and activists—both LGBTI and non-LGBTI—who work together to bring the association’s goals and initiatives to life at both the local and national level.
Associazione Nuova Generazione Italo-Cinese (ANGI) is a nonprofit association founded spontaneously by young Chinese residents in Italy. Its purpose is to foster collaboration and mutual support among the new generation of Chinese individuals, promote their successful integration into Italian society, protect the rights of the Chinese community, enhance its visibility and recognition, and strengthen friendly relations between Italian and Chinese people.
Baobab Experience is an organisation supporting people with a history of migration in overcoming the obstacles to their self-determination. Active every day of the year, it offers frontline assistance and a listening ear to people on the move, while its weekly help desks, language school, and housing projects accompany those who wish to settle in Italy through all aspects of social integration—providing medical care, food, clothing, overnight accommodation, legal assistance, and job placement services.
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Be Free is a social cooperative founded in 2007, established with the mission of creating a permanent space dedicated to developing practices for supporting survivors and combating violence against women. Be Free is rooted in intersectional transfeminism, operating from the understanding that all forms of violence are driven by deeply entrenched stereotypes and systemic inequalities—including those based on gender, gender identity, disability (ableism), race, age, sexual orientation, gender expression, social class, and religious belief.
Binario 15 ODV is a voluntary association that works to protect and support the rights of migrants, with a particular focus on minors, women, refugees, and asylum seekers coming from Afghanistan. Founded in April 2011, it is composed of a multidisciplinary team that includes intercultural mediators and social workers of different nationalities who share the common goal of promoting cultural exchange and social inclusion. Binario 15 is a constantly evolving laboratory of ideas and projects driven by passion and social commitment.
Confronti is an Italian magazine dedicated to interfaith dialogue, politics, society, and interculturality. Founded in 1989, following in the footsteps of Com-Nuovi Tempi (1973), it addresses a wide range of social issues, including the living conditions of migrant communities in Italy, fostering critical reflection and open dialogue across cultural and religious boundaries.
CoNNGI is a national network of associations founded in 2017 to represent the voices of Italy’s new generations—young people with a migrant background who claim their belonging to Italy with determination. Bringing together associations from across the country, from Piedmont to Campania, CoNNGI acts as a representative body in institutional and inter-institutional spaces at both national and international level, advocating for the protagonism of young Italian citizens with migrant roots and contributing to a broader, more plural vision of Italian identity.
COSPE is an international organization founded in 1983, operating alongside civil society and resistance movements to facilitate systemic change. Its work is grounded in the deconstruction of patriarchal and neocolonial structures, and in the strengthening of the regenerative capacities of communities and territories across the world. COSPE’s mission is to remove inequalities and advance social, climate, and economic justice, promoting self-determination, rights ownership, decolonization, and collective stewardship of people, relationships, and the planet.
Vito fiorino is a carpenter and a fisherman by passion. On October 3, 2013, he took part in the rescue efforts during one of the tragic shipwrecks in our sea, off Lampedusa, where he has been living for many years, spending most of the year there. Fiorino was anchored offshore at dawn, waiting to head out fishing with a friend, when he suddenly found himself surrounded by shipwrecked migrants desperately crying for help. Fiorino immediately understood how critical the situation was. Without hesitation, he began pulling as many people as possible aboard, with the help of his friend. After alerting the Coast Guard, he brought the 47 people he had rescued safely back to shore (46 men and one woman), saving them from certain death.
Fondazione Pangea Onlus is a non-profit organization founded in 2002, focused on human rights for women. It promotes their economic and social empowerment through development and cooperation projects, particularly in contexts marked by discrimination, poverty, marginalization, war, and conflict. Through technical and organizational support, consultations, and participatory dialogue built on trust and equality, Pangea structures development programs to achieve the greatest possible improvement for women, families, and communities.
IoStoria APS promotes psychosocial well-being in the cultural, educational, social-health, and community spheres. It is a safe space for all subjectivities, anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, and trans-feminist.
Linea d’Ombra is a volunteer organisation founded in Trieste in 2019, dedicated to supporting migrant populations along the Balkan route and beyond. Active both in Trieste and in the field—travelling to Bosnia, Serbia, and Bulgaria—it provides medical care, clean clothing, food, and social support to those passing through, bringing direct and essential aid wherever there is need.
Maghweb is a non-profit organisation founded in Palermo in 2014. It is striving for social and territorial justice on a local, regional, national and European level and use communication tools, training programs and project design to improve access to civil rights, services and opportunities. Organisation’s inter-disciplinary team works in project management, non-formal education, health promotion, journalism, audio-visual and photographic production, social media and graphic and web design.
From its base in Palermo, they build national and international networks that strengthen informed, conscious and engaged communities.
Mediterranean Hope is a refugee and migrant programme of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI), largely funded by the Otto per mille. It supports migrants in their right to move, seek protection, and self-determination through solidarity, reception, and the implementation of legal and safe access routes. MH also carries out advocacy and awareness-raising on issues of social justice, rights, and discrimination, operating in various border areas in collaboration with local communities, churches, civil society, and institutions.
Nove Caring Humans is an Italian non-profit organisation promoting sustainable socio-economic development in the most vulnerable and marginalised communities. It empowers women through education, training, and employment opportunities, supports children’s health and well-being, and fosters the inclusion of people with disabilities, particularly through sport. In humanitarian emergencies, NOVE provides immediate relief while planning long-term recovery. Founded in 2012, it operates in Italy and Afghanistan and has implemented projects in Greece, Syria, and Ethiopia.
One Bridge To is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 and based in Verona, working along the European borders of the Balkan Route to support migrants, people on the move, and refugees. Its work rests on two inseparable principles: delivering direct aid and developing projects on the ground, and bearing witness to the stories of the people encountered and the injustices they face.
Radio Popolare Milano is one of Italy’s most historic and independent radio stations, founded in the early 1970s during the flourishing of the so-called “free radio” movement. From its earliest broadcasts, the station built its identity around civic engagement and political commitment, pioneering formats such as the open microphone. Giving voice to migrants and documenting their experiences has always been a defining topic in Radio Popolare’s editorial mission. The station has indeed consistently centred on questions of rights, reception, and the human consequences of restrictive migration policies. Its podcast Non è vita—Storie dal Cpr di Milano, produced by Roberto Maggioni, offers a detailed portrait of life inside Milan’s Via Corelli detention centre, built entirely from the testimonies of those held there.
Rete Milano ODV is a volunteer organisation founded in Milan in October 2020, dedicated to providing emergency support to refugees and migrants in transit. The association focuses specifically on individuals arriving via the Balkan route—people who have often endured severe rights violations and extreme physical hardship throughout their journey. Upon reaching Milan, Rete Milano ODV serves as a first point of contact for those who frequently arrive with no other institutional support to turn to.
Rete Vesuviana Solidale is a solidarity network born out of the union of the associations Ya Basta, Nova Koiné Restiamo Umani, and Small Axe. Rooted in active and grassroots practices, it promotes hospitality, inclusion, mutual aid, and dispute resolution, building a concrete network of support for the most marginalised individuals in its territory.
La Rete Nazionale per il contrasto ai discorsi e ai fenomeni d’odio (commonly known as Rete contro l’Odio) is an interdisciplinary network established to study, monitor, and combat hate speech both online and offline. Officially founded on October 26, 2020, at the initiative of Amnesty International Italy, the network brings together various complementary organizations: NGOs and associations such as Amnesty International, Cospe, ActionAid, and the No Hate Speech Italia movement; institutions and professional Bodies such as UNAR (National Office Against Racial Discrimination), the National Bar Council and the academic community.
SOS Mediterranee is a European maritime humanitarian organisation dedicated to saving lives in the Central Mediterranean, the world’s deadliest migration route. Operating vessels such as the Ocean Viking, it conducts search and rescue (SAR) operations, provides medical assistance on board, and bears witness to the ongoing humanitarian crisis—all in full compliance with maritime law.
Sportello Intercultura Gaycenter offers support and assistance to migrants who are discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The service provides legal and psychological assistance, intercultural mediation, and support activities related to political refugee status or international protection for reasons of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The WeWorld project in Ventimiglia, active since 2016 in partnership with Caritas Intemelia and DiaconiaValdese provides assistance, shelter and support to migrants and asylum seekers stranded at the Italian-French border. Activities include direct support to people in transit, with a particular focus on women and children, as well as monitoring of trafficking and exploitation risks.
