"The law to welcome non-EU seafarers into Italy without restrictions has been approved."
Genova for Yachting celebrates but now asks to overcome the interpretation adopted in July 2021 by Italy of the ruling of the European Court of Justice that gave rise to the problem
The Genova for Yachting association announced that Parliament has approved the law (Article 13-ter of Law 51 of May 20, 2022) that allows, through the issuance of a work visa, an initial, partial response to the emergency caused by the flight of large yachts from Italy due to the limited time limits imposed on non-EU seafarers who join their crews. "Genova for Yachting thanks the politicians and authorities who have actively worked to address this issue, but urges that action not be stopped here, as the new law is not enough to guarantee the free movement of seafarers in Italy as currently occurs in other European countries," a statement reads. "The visa, in fact, can only be requested after the issuance of specific application circulars and, once operational, will still, by its nature, entail issuance times that are often incompatible with the normal needs of crew rotation."
The Association therefore emphasizes the importance of action, both at the Italian and European levels, to address the root of the problem, namely the interpretation adopted by Italy in July 2021 of a ruling by the European Court of Justice.
The Italian law, after being amended, provides for the issuing of a residence visa for work purposes also to non-EU seafarers who embark in Italy on foreign ships that are already in our waters for cruise and charter activities or to be subjected to repair/maintenance work at our shipyards and marinas. (art. 13-ter L. 51 of 05/20/2022).
“The residence visa introduced by the new law serves to stem, but not to overcome, the emergency that has arisen in our sector – he declared John Costaguta, president of Genova For Yachting – due to the massive abandonment of Italy by foreign shipowners as a consequence of the interpretation adopted in July 2021 by Italy (but not uniformly by other European countries) of the ruling of the European Court of Justice which effectively limits the stay of these seafarers in the Schengen area to just 90 days”.
The association's president concludes: "We ask everyone to continue working alongside us with the ultimate goal of restoring the previous regime of free movement, of course with the targeted and non-indiscriminate introduction of the precautions indicated by the Court. Only in this way will it be possible to eliminate Italy's persistent competitive disadvantage without in any way jeopardizing the immigration control requirements established by the Schengen Code."
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE SUPER YACHT 24 NEWSLETTER
