ROME — Italian President Sergio Mattarella delivered a strong critique of Elon Musk on Wednesday, specifically targeted at Musk’s comments regarding the Italian judicial decisions that have hindered the government’s efforts to manage the processing of some asylum seekers in Albania.
Musk, who may soon take on a significant advisory position within Donald Trump’s prospective administration, expressed his views on Tuesday via X, mentioning that “these judges need to go,” in reference to the recent court ruling that posed a challenge to right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni’s immigration agreement with Albania.
Following up on his remarks, Musk stated on Wednesday, “This is unacceptable. Do the people of Italy live in a democracy or does an unelected autocracy make the decisions?”
These comments were sparked by a decision from a court in Rome, which declined to address a formal petition to detain seven migrants rescued at sea who had been transferred to Albania for processing.
The court’s ruling earlier this week, which mandated that the migrants be brought back to Italy for processing, marked the second judicial blow to Meloni’s highly publicized initiative aimed at outsourcing the processing of certain male asylum seekers to Albania.
While not directly mentioning Musk, Mattarella issued an unusually pointed statement emphasizing the need for respect toward Italy’s sovereignty, particularly from those soon to assume prominent public roles.
“Italy is a great democratic country and … knows how to take care of itself while respecting its Constitution,” he mentioned in a statement relayed by his spokesman. “Anyone, especially someone expected to take on a significant governmental role in a friendly nation, must honor its sovereignty and must not impose themselves as arbiters.”
Trump revealed on Tuesday that Musk would collaborate in leading a Department of Government Efficiency, which is essentially an independent advisory group tasked with identifying and eliminating waste and fraud.
Musk, who has shown support for Meloni and has met her in Rome several times, was seen with her at an awards event during the U.N. General Assembly. The revealing nature of their photographs together prompted Musk to address speculation by tweeting, “We are not dating.”
The decisions made by the courts have provoked frustration among Meloni’s right-wing government, which has been exploring options to alleviate the pressure of the influx of migrants seeking a better living situation in Europe. The government had positioned the launch of Albanian processing centers as a cornerstone of its immigration strategy, which also included deterrent measures and the potential to influence broader European practices.
In both cases, Italian courts referred the matters to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, which will determine if the migrants’ countries of origin can be deemed safe for repatriation. Currently, there is no indication regarding when a ruling from the European court might be anticipated.
Due to the decisions made by the court in Rome, processing of any migrant has not commenced at the Albanian centers, which are projected to cost Italy approximately 670 million euros ($730 million) over the next five years for construction and operation.
Opposition parties in Italy suggest that these funds could be better allocated to enhancing Italian-run migrant processing facilities, while human rights organizations argue that the effort to outsource asylum processing contradicts international legal standards.
The Albanian centers officially opened their doors in October after facing several delays caused by the need for repairs at one of the facilities due to unstable soil. Although managed by Italy and subject to Italian law, external security is provided by Albanian personnel.