The Executive Board of the Scuola Superiore della Magistratura and the Scuola di Perfezionamento per le Forze di Polizia (SFP), within the framework of the partnership agreement signed in July 2024, organized a training course at SFP venue on the topic “Maritime borders and migration flows: State obligations and fundamental rights. Legal and organizational issues in the context of the Pact for migration and international Law”. This course was intended for 25 judges as well as for the trainees of the SFP’s XLII Advanced Training Course, with the aim of providing them with further expertise in the field and fostering the exchange of knowledge and experiences.
The course took place from September 22 to 25 and consisted of a seminar held at the “Prefetto Carlo Mosca” Conference Hall and a field trip on September 24 and 25 to Lampedusa, at the First Aid and Reception Center, run by the Italian Red Cross, as well as at the facilities of the Guardia di Finanza and the Coast Guard responsible for maritime border surveillance and rescue at sea.
The first part of the course covered a wide range of legal topics, including general principles on external border control, coordination, and search and rescue (SAR) operations, as well as disembarkation and reception procedures, with a particular focus on national and international legislation and case law. The course also explored topics such as the protection of unaccompanied foreign minors, methods of identification and protection, de facto detention, and the potential implications of the new European Pact on Migration, as well as the criminal law aspects of border control, with a focus on illegal immigration and human trafficking.
On September 24, the trainees arrived at the Pratica di Mare Military Airport in Pomezia (RM), where the Commander of the Guardia di Finanza’s Air and Naval Operations Command, Major General Joselito Minuto, outlined the Corps’ duties and activities in maritime border surveillance. There, the course trainees were able to board Guardia di Finanza aircraft bound for Lampedusa, accompanied by the SFP Director, Guardia di Finanza Major General Vito Giordano; the Head of the Studies, Research, and Training Service, Carabinieri Corps Brigadier General Alessandro Della Nebbia, and the Head of the Studies Office, National Police Primo Dirigente Lorena Capolupo, as well as magistrates Roberto Giovanni Conti and Maria Cristina Contini, respectively a member of the Executive Board and a senior trainer at the Scuola Superiore della Magistratura.
At the Lampedusa Hotspot, the initial reception and management of irregular migrants, as well as the close coordination among all public actors were outlined by the Prefetto
of Agrigento, Mr. Salvatore Caccamo; the Questore (Local Chief of Police), Mr. Tommaso Palumbo; the Provincial Commander of the Carabinieri Corps, Colonel Federico Palmieri; the Provincial Commander of the Guardia di Finanza Corps, Colonel Gabriele Baron, the Director of the Hotspot, Mr. Imad Dalii, and the Commander of the Lampedusa Maritime District Office – Coast Guard, Tenente di Vascello Fausto Calarco.
The final day, 25 September 2026, was devoted to tours of the operational facilities and vessels of the Guardia di Finanza Corps, whose personnel accompanied the trainees to take a brief trip out to sea, as well as of the Coast Guard, whose personnel explained the challenges they face and provided a practical demonstration of maritime rescue techniques.
Finally, before the return flight to Rome, the training course concluded with a wrap-up briefing on the activities carried out, led by the SFP Director and the accompanying magistrates. This meeting was held in the conference room of the Italian Air Force’s 134th Remote Radar Center in Lampedusa, which provided extraordinary logistical support for the stay on the island.
