Italian PM Meloni welcomes Hungarian counterpart Orban in Rome

Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni met her Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán on Wednesday in Rome, where the two discussed the situation in the Middle East and their commitment to the eastern country’s reconstruction.

Meloni also congratulated Orbán on his six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council, the first chapter of accession talks with Albania and the progress made with Bulgaria and Romania in the expansion of the Schengen area, according to a statement from the Italian government.

During the meeting at the Italian government’s headquarters the leaders also emphasized the importance of addressing irregular migration, calling for increased cooperation with countries of origin and transit to tackle root causes and combat human trafficking and smuggling.

They also agreed on the urgent need for an updated legal framework to facilitate, increase and speed up returns from the EU, with particular focus on strengthening the concept of safe countries of origin.