Migrants or Refugees? The Evolving Governance of Migration Flows in Italy during the “Refugee Crisis”

Since the beginning of its experience as an immigration country, Italy has received only small numbers of asylum-seekers. Until the late 2000s, with the reception of EU directives on asylum, Italy had hardly any comprehensive normative framework on asylum. The so-called refugee crisis initiated in the second half of 2013, with hundreds of thousands people crossing the Mediterranean to reach Italy, has decisively changed these features. In such a context, how have Italian policies reacted to the increasing magnitude and complexity of mixed flows across the Mediterranean? Has Italy turned from a labour migration magnet to an asylum land? In this paper, we will address these questions by presenting the evolution of migration flows and stocks in Italy in the last decade and by analysing the policy responses adopted by Italian authorities. Lastly, we will highlight the role of the EU in influencing the Italian asylum and migration policies.