The agreement signed in 2023 between Italy and Albania to outsource the asylum application of migrants entered into force this week. The system, unprecedented in the EU, inspires the boss of the European Commission, Ursula vonder Leyen.
A unique method in the European Union. A little less than a year after the signing of a controversial agreement between Rome and Tirana, the first migrants arrested in Italian waters have arrived in Albania, where their asylum application will be outsourced.
Shortly before eight a.m. this Wednesday, October 16, the Italian Navy ship Libra arrived at the port of Shengjin, in northern Albania. On board, 16 men from Egypt and Bangladesh, Italian law enforcement and men in white overalls. Their journey lasted more than 36 hours.
Two centers opened in Albania
Once disembarked, the 16 men will be registered in the first center created by the Italians in Albania, prefabricated units installed at the port surrounded by high gates and guarded by Italian law enforcement. They will then be taken 20 km further to the former military camp of Gjader.
There, the migrants will be detained under an administrative detention measure decided by the prefect of Rome, in 12 m² prefabs surrounded by high walls and cameras and monitored by the police, pending the processing of their request asylum.
If the latter is refused, cells have been installed in the camp, waiting to send them back to their country of origin. The centers should have a capacity of 1,000 places initially, then 3,000 eventually.
Only adult men
This outsourcing of the asylum request, a first in Europe, was made possible by a controversial agreement signed in November 2023 between the head of the far-right Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, and the Albanian socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama, in the name of the long relations that unite the two countries. Lasting five years, its cost for Italy is estimated at 160 million euros per year.
The system only concerns adult men intercepted by the Italian Navy or Coast Guard in their search and rescue zone in international waters.
Welcoming a “courageous agreement” on Tuesday, Giorgia Meloni also said she was “proud that Italy has become an example to follow from this point of view” – evoking the interest of the French, German, Swedish and British governments on the policy Italian management of migratory flows.
Von der Leyen ready to learn “lessons”
The agreement was criticized by many human rights NGOs who see it as a violation of international rules.
“The Italy-Albania agreement violates international maritime law and risks further eroding the fundamental rights of refugees,” wrote the NGO SOS Humanity on Tuesday, estimating that “Italy de facto detains people seeking protection on Albanian territory without judicial review, which is profoundly inhumane and violates their fundamental rights.”
Earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mentioned in a letter to EU member states a flammable proposal to transfer migrants to third-country reception centers, “return hubs.” , calling for “lessons” to be learned from the Italy-Albania agreement.
The German right-wing leader took the migrant transfer agreement between Italy and Albania as an example to, she said, “learn lessons from this experience”.
The European Union already adopted the Asylum and Migration Pact last May, which is scheduled to enter into force in mid-2026. The text tightens controls at EU borders and establishes a solidarity mechanism between the 27 for the reception of asylum seekers.
François Blanchard with AFP
