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Deportations from Italy to Albania officially begin, first 15 arrive, transport continues

Politiko 2025-04-09 20:47:27

Deportations from Italy to Albania officially begin, first 15 arrive, transport

An Italian military ship with 15 migrants has departed from the port of Brindisi towards Albania, marking the next transport within the framework of the agreement between the Italian and Albanian governments for the management of migrants outside the EU territory. According to official sources, another group of 25 migrants is expected to depart this evening towards our country, bringing the total number of people who will be placed in the Gjadri camp to 40.

These immigrants, who have received deportation orders from Italian territory, will be housed in the special center in Gjadra, now transformed into a repatriation facility according to the new draft approved by Giorgia Meloni's government.

In January of this year, Albania hosted the third and largest group of migrants at the reception center in Shëngjin, after two previous cases in October and November 2024. In both cases, Italian courts had not upheld the detention of asylum seekers in Albanian facilities, temporarily suspending the implementation of the agreement.

The legal disputes mainly relate to the definition of asylum seekers' countries of origin and the lack of a common list of "safe countries" among EU states. The Italian government has defended its position, emphasizing the need for personalized lists for each member state.

On December 30, 2024, the Court of Cassation in Italy ruled in favor of the Italian executive, confirming that the designation of safe countries is the exclusive competence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries, and not of judges in individual cases.

The agreement for the construction and operation of these centers was signed in 2023 between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. It has drawn strong criticism from international human rights organizations, which see it as an attempt to shift the migration problem to economically and legally weaker countries.

The Italian opposition has called this project costly and inefficient, with a cost of around 800 million euros over five years, while emphasizing that it represents only a small part of the total flow of migrants entering Italy each year.

Meanwhile, the European Commission and several EU leaders have expressed interest in the Italian-Albanian model, considering it as an alternative for managing immigration outside the union's borders.

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