Both leaders underscored shared priorities, including peace in Ukraine, migration management, and regional cooperation within Europe.

The leaders emphasized the urgent need to address irregular migration, advocating for enhanced cooperation with countries of origin and transit to combat human trafficking and smuggling.

During their meeting, Meloni congratulated Orbán on Hungary's six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council and acknowledged progress in EU accession talks with Albania, as well as the expansion of the Schengen area with Bulgaria and Romania.

On December 4, 2024, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Rome to discuss various geopolitical issues, including support for peace in Ukraine and illegal migration.

The discussion included exploring new methods to prevent irregular migration, building on the Italy-Albania agreement aimed at expediting the processing of asylum requests in Albania.

In addition to migration issues, the leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East and reiterated their commitment to a peaceful resolution in Ukraine, ahead of a recovery conference scheduled in Rome for July 2025.

This meeting comes in the context of ongoing tensions, as a group of deputy heads of the European Parliament sought to revoke Hungary's voting rights in the EU due to Orbán's controversial policies.

Meloni and Orbán called for updated EU legislation to expedite the return of illegal migrants, focusing on strengthening the definition of safe countries of origin.

However, challenges have emerged in implementing the Italy-Albania migration deal, as Italian magistrates have blocked the transfer of migrants to Albanian processing centers, citing safety concerns about their countries of origin.

Earlier this year, on July 2, Orbán visited Kyiv to propose a ceasefire for further negotiations with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.