Italy gives final approval on decree clamping down on migrant charity ships

FILE PHOTO: A rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) of the Italian Finance Police patrols near the Mare Jonio, operated by Italian charity Mediterranea Saving Humans, and the German NGO Sea-Eye migrant rescue ship 'Alan Kurdi' (unseen) in international waters of the Italian island of Lampedusa in the central Mediterranean Sea, August 31, 2019. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's parliament on Thursday passed into law a government decree establishing a code of conduct for migrant charity ships, despite criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian groups that it will imperil lives.

The new set of rules is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's efforts to crack down on the rescue vessels, which her government says encourage people to make the perilous trip across the Mediterranean from northern Africa.