Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on
Monday hailed her government's agreement with Tirana to run
migrant centres in Albania in a video message to an an
immigration crime summit in London organized by British Prime
Minister Keir Starmer.
"With Keir we agree that we must not be afraid to come up with
and build innovative solutions, such as the one Italy started
with Albania," said Meloni, the leader of the right-wing
Brothers of Italy (FdI) party.
"(It is) a model that was criticised at the beginning but then
it gained more and more support, so much so that today the
European Union is proposing setting up repatriation centres in
third countries.
"This means that we were right, and that our courage to lead the
way has been rewarded".
On Friday the government approved a decree allowing one of two
Italian-run facilities in Albania to be used as a repatriation
centre (CPR) for irregular migrants, including foreigners who
have received an expulsion or a detention order in Italy.
The move comes after the implementation of the protocol between
Rome and Tirana for the fast-track processing of asylum seekers
at two facilities Italy opened in Albania last October has so
far been stymied by Italian courts.
The centres of Gjader, which already has a CPR, and Shengjin are
currently empty after Italy's courts failed to validate the
detention of the first three groups of migrants taken there in
October, November and January.
The European Court of Justice began hearing the case on the
Italy-Albania protocol last month.
The Luxembourg judges need to examine referrals filed by Italian
courts which have yet to recognise the legitimacy of detentions
ordered against migrants rescued by Italian Navy vessels in the
Mediterranean and transferred to the other side of the Adriatic
because they come from countries considered safe by the Italian
government, namely Egypt and Bangladesh.
The EU Court is conducting the examination in an accelerated
manner, recognising the importance of the issue, and a ruling is
expected before the summer.
Under the decree approved by the government on Friday, the
facility of Gjader will have 144 places and will host irregular
migrants directly transferred from Italy, joining the national
network of CPRs.
However, its original function dedicated to accelerated border
procedures will be maintained ahead of the EU court's decision.
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