Premier Giorgia Meloni's cabinet on Wednesday approved a new package of measures aimed at combatting illegal immigration.
The package includes new powers that will make it possible for the authorities to impose a 'naval blockade" in certain situations.
It will enable the authorities to ban the crossing into Italian territorial waters for up to 30 days, and extendable up to a maximum of six months, in cases of serious threats to public order or national security as in the concrete risk of terrorist acts or terrorist infiltration.
It will also be possible to impose the blockade in the case of "exceptional migratory pressure that could jeopardize the secure management of borders".
In such cases, the intercepted migrants could be "transported to third countries other than their country of origin, with which Italy has entered into specific agreements".
