The Guardian: Italian judges give another blow to the Rama-Meloni deal in Albania

Italian judges have ordered seven people detained at a migration center in Albania to be transferred to Italy, in another blow to a controversial deal between Rome's far-right government and Tirana aimed at stemming the flow of asylum seekers.

Seven migrants arrived in the Albanian port of Shengjin on a military ship on Friday after being rescued in international waters while trying to travel to Europe.

The Italian government had argued that all should return to their "safe" countries in Egypt and Bangladesh. One man who was originally part of the group has already been sent to Italy after being deemed vulnerable.

Monday's ruling marked the second time Italian judges have ordered the return of people from centers in Albania to Italy, raising further questions about EU plans to set up migration processing and detention centers outside the bloc.

Italy's government, led by far-right Giorgio Meloni, angrily condemned the judges' decision on Monday, blaming "politicized magistrates". 

"Another political punishment, not against the government, but against Italians and their security," said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.

Under the agreement, migrants from countries considered "safe" and intercepted in international waters while trying to cross from Africa to Europe are supposed to be held in Albania while their asylum claims are processed. The scheme, which excludes women, children and vulnerable individuals, can process up to 3,000 men a month.

However, since the centers opened on October 11, only 24 people have arrived in Albania in total and, following Monday's decision, all will be transferred to Italy by order of judges who have ruled that they cannot return to their countries of origin. their origin. 

Aid workers and opposition parties attacked the Italy-Albania deal, hailed by far-right leaders and others in Europe as a potential blueprint for the future of migration, as a "complete failure" and "financial disaster".

"This is the story of a failure, of an inability or a lack of will to manage the phenomenon," said Laura Boldrini, a Democratic Party lawmaker and a former spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for southern Europe.

"I hope that Giorgia Meloni at least feels great embarrassment for these people who are bouncing like ping-pong balls for a game that is purely propaganda. Far from being a model for Europe, this is a boomerang. Immigrant facilities in Albania do not only serve to humiliate immigrants used as puppets."

The judges' rulings that the 24 men should be transferred to Italy actually uphold an earlier ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ), which the Italian government was accused of ignoring.

Only people who come from a list of 18 Italian nations classified as "safe" can be sent to Albania. Egypt and Bangladesh are among them, but the ECJ ruled that a country outside the bloc cannot be declared safe unless its entire territory is considered safe.

The bill for the initiative, which NGOs have labeled "inhumane, absurd and a costly system that violates international human rights obligations", is estimated at around €1bn (£830m) over five years.

The dispute over Albania has worsened already strained relations between the government and the judiciary, with Justice Minister Carlo Nordio attacking judges. "The definition of a safe place cannot be left to the judiciary," he said. Adapted from The Guardian