Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi drew derision from the Italian opposition today as he unveiled measures targeting immigrants and prostitutes.
Mr Berlusconi is under growing pressure to resign over a scandal involving teenage girls at his villa.
A decree passed by his cabinet allows authorities to deport citizens of other EU states after 90 days if they do not meet conditions such as having a suitable income and an address.
The new measures will also allow police to expel any immigrant working as a prostitute on the street but not affect prostitutes working indoors.
"Give us a break!" said Leoluca Orlando, a parliamentarian of the opposition Italy of Values party, adding that Berlusconi's private life had left him "devoid of any moral qualifications or credibility" to pass such a law.
Mr Berlusconi is at the centre of a scandal involving an 18-year-old Moroccan runaway named Ruby. The girl has said she was paid €7,000 after she attended a party at Mr Berlusconi's private villa near Milan when she was 17 years old. Ruby has denied having sex with Berlusconi and said she had told him she was 24 years old.
But the case has filled newspapers for days and prompted opposition calls for the premier to resign after media reported that Mr Berlusconi phoned a Milan police station to ask that the girl be released after she was detained for petty theft.
Mr Berlusconi acknowledges knowing Ruby and making a phone call on her behalf to police, but says he was merely offering normal assistance to a person from a disadvantaged background, and denies using any improper influence or pressuring officers.
His wife filed for divorce last year, accusing him of associating with minors.
The prime minister has shrugged off the storm of criticism which has come his way over the incident, even stoking the outrage with his trademark brand of provocation by remarking "it's better to like beautiful girls than to be gay".
Mr Berlusconi has survived previous scandals over parties and prostitutes and he insists that he will remain in office until his term ends in 2013, despite coming under fire from groups as diverse as Catholic bishops and gay rights groups.
But the latest incident has alarmed even some of his closest supporters, including Umberto Bossi, the leader of his coalition partners in the federalist Northern League, who said the scandal risked damaging Italy's international credibility.
Agencies