Rome, Jan 28 (IANS) Italy has restarted its contentious program of sending asylum seekers picked up in the Mediterranean to Albania, months after judges in Rome ruled against the transfers.
On Sunday, an Italian Navy vessel transported 49 male asylum seekers to Albania. The program involving Albania is part of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s strategy to curb the number of migrants coming to Italy, reports Xinhua news agency.
The plan is controversial as Albania is outside the European Union, meaning the refugees are not protected under EU asylum rules.
Domestic critics in Italy said the program is costly and ineffective, considering its projected expense of 800 million euros (around 840 million US dollars) will address only a tiny fraction of the migrant influx to Italy each year.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 66,000 asylum seekers landed on Italian shores in 2024, down dramatically from nearly 158,000 in the previous year.
In October last year, Italy began transferring migrants to two controversial new facilities in Albania, which are located in the Albanian towns of Shengjin and Gjiade.
The migrants will undergo identification procedures and remain at the centres until the Italian authorities can process their asylum requests.
In early November 2023, the Italian government signed a five-year deal with Albania to create the two centres.
The facilities will accommodate migrants who have been rescued within Italy’s search and rescue area in the Mediterranean by the Italian navy and coast guard and who intend to seek asylum in Italy.
Transfers to the centres will involve migrants from countries of origin that Italy considers safe, but not minors, women, elderly or otherwise vulnerable people, according to the Italian authorities.
However, the project has caused controversy at the domestic and European level. The centres have been criticised by centre-left and left-wing political forces and human rights groups, who are concerned that asylum seekers’ rights will not be sufficiently protected in Albania.
On the other hand, the rightwing political forces in Italy and Europe view the project as a possible model for managing irregular immigration.
The project will be managed by the Italian Interior Ministry, and the centres will be run by Italian staff. Meanwhile, Albania will provide security on the perimeter.
The number of migrants hosted in Albania will not be allowed to exceed 3,000.
–IANS
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