Rama-Meloni failure: There are no more workers in the refugee camps

Over a hundred workers from the organization that manages the Italy-Albania migration centers have been laid off "until further notice," the Italian newspaper writes, according to Euractiv .

The dismissal letter obtained by the Domani newspaper states that all employees of the Italian NGO MediHospes, which currently runs the center, will be released starting February 15, 2025, "until further notice." 

MediHospes won the 151.5 million euro contract last year to manage the Gjader and Shëngjin centers – without a public tender. However, as of last month, no contract had been signed between the NGO and the prefecture.

The layoffs come after the government's latest push to limit the centers to deportations only, after months of judicial hurdles that have blocked their implementation since October. 

Asked on Thursday whether the government had begun emptying the centers in Albania, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi answered with a "no." 

The dismissal letters are "another confirmation of the failure of this operation," said Elly Schlein, head of the Democratic Party. An initiative that "violates fundamental rights and Italian and European laws," Schlein added.

Meanwhile, the government is working on a new decree for immigrant centers in Albania, which is expected to be presented soon.

Francesco Ferri, migration expert at ActionAid and member of the Tavolo Asilo e Immigrazione (TAI) delegation, which monitors conditions for migrants in Albania's centres, rejected the idea of ​​reusing the facilities to detain other categories of migrants, warning that this would only result in further rights violations.

"Such a reconversion would create new and additional violations of fundamental rights - something that has no place in a democratic system," Ferri added.

The EU Commission is monitoring it.

The hubs have attracted significant European interest since the start. As early as October, von der Leyen described them as an experience from which the EU Commission could "learn practical lessons" ahead of the October EUCO meeting.

"Regardless of any legitimate opinion, it is clear that this is an initiative that Europe supports," Interior Minister Piantedosi said speaking in the Italian Parliament this week.

This interest has not waned, even after three failed ban approvals led to the migrants being returned to Italy and the project effectively stalled. 

The centers were also a topic of debate at the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council in Warsaw, the first under the Polish presidency.

Piantedosi noted that the Polish Presidency's discussion document includes "a clear reference to the [Italy-Albania] Protocol" as an example of "innovative cooperation with a third country."

The future of the centers will not only be decided on February 25, when the European Court of Justice, referred by the Italian courts, will issue its decision, but also by the Albanian elections scheduled for May 11.

Former Albanian President Sali Berisha, who is running against Edi Rama, the leader who signed the agreement with Italy, has stated that if he wins, "after five years, the contract with Italy will not be renewed."