Drone view of the reception camp for illegal migrants to be brought from Italy to Gjader, Albania, on October 11, 2024. FLORION GOGA / REUTERS
A cornerstone of Rome’s new migration policy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s major project with Albania is taking shape with the support of her counterpart and “friend” from Tirana, Edi Rama. On Monday, October 14, almost a year after the far-right leader and the Social Democrat signed a memorandum for the construction of Italian-operated detention centers in Albania, the first group of migrants rescued at sea by the Rome authorities – 16 people from Egypt and Bangladesh – were headed for the Balkan country aboard the Libra, an Italian naval vessel.
After disembarkation, scheduled for Wednesday, the migrants will be detained within the fenced container facilities, where their asylum claims will be processed according to Italian procedures. For Meloni, the system is intended to act as a deterrent. However, the legal and, above all, logistical viability of what is supposed to be one of the major achievements of her term of office remains in question.
The agreement is simple in its aspirations, but complex in its implementation. It only concerns migrants rescued in international waters by Italian vessels and deemed not to be vulnerable. Women, minors, people suffering from mental disorders, victims of torture, sexual violence and human trafficking are supposed to be sent to Italy.
Videoconferencing system
Upon landing, the first group of migrants detained on site will be identified at a facility in the port of Shengjin and then transferred to the administrative detention center located on a former military base in Gjader, where up to 880 people can be held. The asylum procedure will be made possible by a videoconferencing system linking the Albanian centers to the court in Rome, where judges will be able to supervise the hearings. Asylum seekers will be able to communicate with their lawyers in the same way, with decisions expected within 28 days.
In an international political landscape marked by the electoral successes of the far right, heightened tension over migration issues and a reevaluation of asylum rights, Meloni’s project is gaining traction among her European partners. Berlin has already expressed an interest in the “Albanian model,” while in London, the Labour government views it as a more legally sound and cost-effective alternative to the costly and ultimately abandoned agreement with Rwanda, which had already cost the UK €280 million. Meanwhile, France is observing the developments with curiosity.
Yet uncertainties remain. Amnesty International has pointed out several issues with the scheme, including its conflict with the obligation to disembark rescued people at the nearest safe port, the lack of clear criteria for identifying vulnerable migrants and the potential risks to procedural guarantees from remote processing of requests. “From a legal point of view, we’re in a gray area,” said Matteo Villa, a specialist in migration issues at the Institute for International Policy Studies, a research center in Milan. In his opinion, Meloni’s Albanian venture could turn into a “totally ineffective logistical nightmare,” given Rome’s objectives.
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