Roma, 5 dic. (AdnKronos) - Members of parliament should debate the contested United Nations global pact on safe and orderly migration "with freedom of conscience" without having to toe any party line, premier Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday.
"Being a topic of vast reach, I personally hope every lawmaker will exercise their freedom of conscience. I disapprove of any party constraints," Conte told La Repubblica newspaper.
The UN compact to regulate the treatment of migrants worldwide "supports our overall strategy," he said.
"I couldn't call a referendum (on the compact) and for this reason we decided to make a parliamentary debate central (to the government's decision whether to adopt the document or not)," said Conte.
The Italian government has not discussed or made any decision about the compact - which has been shunned by at least six EU states - Conte noted. The date of the parliamentary debate has not yet been set.
European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Dimitris Avramopoulos on Tuesday urged EU countries to endorse the pact amid dwindling enthusiasm in the bloc for taking in foreigners.
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was agreed in July by all UN member nations except the United States.
The voluntary pact is due to be formally adopted in Marrakesh on Dec. 10-11 but Conte said in late November that the government would not take part in the conference.
The compact was conceived after the biggest migrant influx into Europe since World War II, as many have fled conflicts and poverty in the Middle East and Africa in the past four years.
.jpg)
