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Italian media reveals Meloni's new plan: Refugee camps could become repatriation centers

Politiko 2025-02-13 13:31:40

Italian media reveals Meloni's new plan: Refugee camps could become

The Italian government is reportedly considering the possibility of reusing its detention centers in Albania as repatriation centers.

According to ANSA , Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Undersecretary of State Alfredo Mantovano discussed the issue after a cabinet meeting on January 7. If the possible reclassification of the two centers were to proceed, instead of housing people who had been caught in international waters in the Mediterranean (as was the initial objective of the Italy-Albania Protocol), they would be used to house people who were already in Italy and awaiting deportation.

Asked to comment on the possible transformation of the screening center in Shëngjin and the detention center in Gjadra into repatriation detention centers (CPRs), Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said: “We will see.”

He did not explain how the use of the centres would be in line with the provisions of the EU Return Directive. Leaving aside possible legal obstacles to the establishment of CPRs in Albania, a more pressing issue may be the need to revise the Italy-Albania Protocol, a process that could be complicated by the Albanian government’s apparent opposition to it. “The agreement does not change,” said Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The reported discussion about the possible reuse of the centers in Albania took place exactly one week after the third failed transfer of asylum seekers to them.

On January 31, a Rome court refused to confirm the detention of 43 people who had been transferred to the Shëngjin center on January 28 and transferred to the Gjadra center. As a result of the court’s decision, on February 6, the people were transferred to the Italian port of Bari, where “almost half” of them had appealed the rejection of their asylum applications by February 10.

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