Germany agrees tougher migration policy as Italy announces asylum centres in Albania – Europe live

In the face of political pressure, leaders in Italy and Germany announce new migration policies

Italy’s far-right government announced plans on Monday to establish centers in Albania to accommodate asylum seekers, hailing it as a “historic” deal with Tirana to manage migration flows.

The agreement involves creating centers in Albania capable of housing up to 3,000 people rescued at sea by Italian vessels. However, this move has sparked a row in Europe and has been heavily criticized by Italy’s opposition parties, who have described it as a “mess” and an “Italian Guantánamo.”

At the moment, it is only a generic agreement, and the specific details of how migrants will be allocated have not yet been regulated.

One center will be located at the northwestern Albanian port of Shëngjin, where disembarkation and identification procedures will take place. Italy will establish a first reception and screening center there.

In Gjader, also in northwestern Albania, a second center, known as a pre-removal center, CPR, will be set up for subsequent procedures.

Government sources reported in the media that Albania will only host people rescued at sea, excluding asylum seekers who arrive on Italian shores and territory, except for minors, pregnant women, and vulnerable individuals who will be transferred to Italy.

The migrants to be transferred to Albania will exclusively be those rescued by Italian vessels, such as the Italian Coast Guard or military boats, and not asylum seekers saved by foreign NGO rescue boats.

Considering Albania’s geographical location, it is highly likely that the migrants transferred to the country will be those departing from the Libyan or Turkish coasts.

The Italian government’s strategy is to alleviate the burden on the island of Lampedusa, where the small centre reaches its capacity limit every summer.

Prime minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the centers will be under Italian jurisdiction.

Italy’s move is entirely unique in the history of the migration crisis and is still unclear from a legal perspective because, in order to be practically implemented, Albania would virtually have to cede part of its territory to Italy.

The agreement will soon be scrutinised by the European Union, which will assess its admissibility.

We asked Fabrizio Tassinari, the executive director of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, about the political implications of Italy’s deal with Albania.

One could draw comparisons with what the UK or Denmark have been doing with Rwanda. The difference here is that Italy itself will manage the migration centres in Albania.

The government in Rome is “adamant to reclaim a strategic role in the western Balkans. Relations with Albania always special in this regard. The idea with this deal must be that it will boost rather than hamper their chances. Not entirely sure about this, but it must be part of the calculation in Tirana too.

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