In February 2024, Italy finalized a deal with Albania to transfer up to 36,000 asylum seekers to detention centers in Albania each year.
Soon, the Italian government will begin detaining asylum seekers outside of EU borders.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned that the Italy-Albania deal is costly, cruel and counterproductive—and is likely to push people seeking safety onto more dangerous routes.
How does the Italy-Albania deal work?
The Italian Coast Guard and the Italian Navy will transfer up to 36,000 people who they rescue at sea outside the European Union’s territorial waters to detention centres in Albania. In Albania, those applying for international protection will be housed until their case has been decided. People who are granted asylum will be allowed to enter Italy, while others are likely to be returned to their country of origin.
The Italian government initially budgeted €650 million ($700+ million) over five years for the deal, but total spending could reportedly exceed the €1 billion mark. Despite this investment, the opening of the detention centers has been delayed by more than three months.
Who does the Italy-Albania deal affect?
The Italy-Albania deal affects asylum seekers—theoretically excluding children and vulnerable individuals—who are rescued at sea by the Italian Coastguard and the Italian Navy and are nationals of countries that the Italian government considers to be “safe”. Individuals whose cases fit the criteria for “fast-track asylum procedures” will be transferred to detention centers in Albania.
The Italian government has said that “children, pregnant women and other vulnerable individuals” will not be deported to Albania. However, there are currently no guarantees or safeguards in place to identify these groups and ensure they are exempt from detainment and deportation.
Asylum seekers who have already arrived in Italy, those who arrive by land, or who are rescued at sea by NGO ships are not subject to the Italy-Albania deal.
An IRC officer speaks to an asylum seeker in Trieste, Italy. The IRC works across the Italian regions of Lombardy, Sicily, Lazio, Piedmont, Campania, and Friuli Venezia Giulia to enhance refugees’ safety, power, education, livelihoods and mental health.
Photo: Francesco Pistilli for the IRC
Does the Italy-Albania deal violate human rights?
The right to seek asylum is enshrined in international law—people have a fundamental right to seek asylum, regardless of their country of origin or where they apply for asylum. The IRC has warned that the Italy-Albania deal poses great risks for people on the move.
“The Italian centers for asylum seekers in Albania should not exist in the first place,” explains Flaminia Delle Cese, Legal and Advocacy Adviser with IRC Italy.
“Moving people to closed centers away from EU soil jeopardizes the basic human right to seek asylum, effectively detaining individuals for their attempts to find a safe haven and protection.”
Learn more about the EU’s duty to uphold human rights.
How can I support asylum seekers?
The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries around the world, working to help people affected by crises to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. Our Resettlement, Asylum and Integration (RAI) networks help families fleeing violence and persecution find safety in new communities.