Written By Lisa Murimi
Italy, the leading recipient of migrant arrivals in the European Union, is partially outsourcing the challenge by opening the first of two planned camps in neighboring Albania.
Starting today, these centers will house up to 3,000 migrants per month rescued en route to Italy, marking Europe’s first “offshoring” scheme.
The inaugural camp, located in the northern Albanian port of Shengjin, will handle migrants picked up in international waters, excluding women, children, and vulnerable individuals.
These migrants can request asylum in Italy, but if refused, they will be sent back to countries deemed safe.
“Italian and European legislation will be applied in these centers,” Fabrizio Bucci, Italy’s ambassador in Albania, stated. “It’s like having a center in Italy – but in Albania.”
The second center, on a former air force base in Gjader, has been delayed.
This five-year agreement, with an option to extend, aims to reduce Italy’s migrant burden and deter dangerous sea crossings. Despite the plan’s €650 million price tag, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who campaigned on a promise to curb migration, views it as crucial.
Critics, including Italian opposition politicians and human rights groups, argue the cost is excessive for detaining a limited number of migrants.
Roberto Magi of the +Europa party expressed concerns over the treatment of migrants and the ability to screen for vulnerable individuals properly.
The deal has drawn comparisons to the UK’s scrapped plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda but remains under Italian jurisdiction.
For Albania, the agreement bolsters its EU membership bid, though some speculate on Prime Minister Edi Rama’s personal motivations.
