Italy is transferring the first group of migrants to the centers it runs in Albania on Monday under a controversial agreement between the two countries, a government source announced. These migrants, whose number and origin have not been specified, will be transferred to the registration center located at the port of Shengjin, and to the one in which the men arrested at sea must be accommodated, around twenty kilometers, on the former military base of Gjader.
Initially announced to be operational in August, the two centers will receive men – “vulnerable people”, such as women and children, are not concerned – arrested at sea while trying to reach European coasts. They will first pass through the port, where offices have been installed in prefabs placed behind high gates, to be counted. They will then be sent to Gjader where they will wait to find out whether their asylum application is accepted or not.
In 12 m² prefabs surrounded by high walls and cameras and monitored by the police, they will be held under an administrative detention measure decided by the prefect of Rome. Everything that happens within the camp is the responsibility of the Italians, while external security is ensured by the Albanian security forces.
Processing asylum applications could take up to four weeks, according to a source familiar with the procedures who asked to remain anonymous. For men who would be refused asylum, cells were set up in the camp.
More than 300 Italian soldiers, doctors and judges are involved in this operation. This agreement between Italy and Albania, sharply criticized by human rights NGOs, was signed in November 2023, by the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, and her Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, who is burning with join the European Union.
Italy and Hungary have proposed extending the principle to the European level, with the creation of “return hubs” – centers where illegal migrants would be returned to countries outside the EU. A proposal which could be discussed at the European summit on October 17 and 18, in Brussels.
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