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CNN has devoted an article to the Rama-Meloni pact, where it is stated that the Dublin agreement is broken. Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee has come out against the pact....
Italy will build two centers in Albania to house migrants trying to reach its shores, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said on Monday, in a bid to control migration numbers that have nearly doubled since she took office.
Meloni said the centers will open next spring and will initially accommodate 3,000 people. Once the centers are "fully operational", Meloni said her government hoped they could "process" up to 36,000 people a year.
Mellon's far-right party is facing growing internal pressure after failing to deliver on an election promise to curb illegal migration. More than 145,000 people have reached Italy's shores since January, compared with 88,000 last year.
Speaking in Rome alongside her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama, Meloni hailed the agreement as a "European agreement" and an "innovative solution" aimed at curbing the growth of Mediterranean crossings from North Africa.
"Mass irregular immigration is a phenomenon that... the member states of the European Union cannot cope with alone", said Meloni in a joint press conference with Rama, adding "cooperation between EU member states and those that are, at the moment, non-EU countries, it can play a decisive role".
Albania was granted candidate status in the European Union almost a decade ago, but has not yet joined the bloc. The deal marks the first time an EU country has handed over its asylum procedures to a country trying to join its ranks.
"We are a European country, but we lack the "U" in front, but this does not prevent us from being and seeing the world as Europeans," said Rama.
The centers will be built in the Albanian ports of Shengjin and Gjader and are "in full compliance with the European Union and international law", said Meloni.
One center will be used to process migrants rescued from boats at sea; the second will be used to house migrants who qualify to apply for asylum in the EU.
It is unclear what happens to those who do not qualify, but the Meloni government has focused on using the threat of immediate deportation as a means of preventing migrants from reaching Italy's shores.
Immediate deportation is not allowed within the EU due to human rights statutes that allow all arrivals to apply for asylum. Because Albania is not a member of the EU, these rules will not apply.
The plan would allow Italy to bypass the Dublin agreement, which says the first country migrants arrive in must take care of them and process their cases.
Italy will provide the manpower to process the applications, but Albania will provide the police for security and supervision, Meloni said, adding that minors, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups will not be sent to Albania. Few other details about the deal, including its cost, have been revealed.
The European Commission issued a brief response on Tuesday afternoon. "We are in contact with the Italian authorities because we need to see the details. We are looking to get detailed information about this type of deal," a spokesperson said.
The deal echoes the UK's controversial deal to send thousands of asylum seekers to Rwanda, which has been mired in legal challenges since its inception.
Human rights groups and opposition politicians condemned the pact. Riccardo Magi wrote in X that the deal would create an "Italian Guantanamo".
In a scathing statement to CNN, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) condemned Rome's plan, which it said "deals a further blow to the principle of EU solidarity".
"The Italian government's plan to build reception centers for refugees and asylum seekers in Albania is evidence of its disproportionate focus on preventing people from arriving in the EU, rather than creating safe and legal routes for those seeking asylum, ” said Susanna Zanfrini, Director of the IRC in Italy.
"Major questions arise over the application of Italian jurisdiction in Albania, as it remains unclear how people on the move can access asylum and exercise their fundamental rights in a territory outside the EU," she added. / Adapted "Pamphlet" from " CNN "
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