Meloni shields its detention centers for migrants in Albania with a decree after the setback by the Italian Justice

The Italian Government of Giorgia Meloni approved this Monday a decree to establish by law the list of “safe countries” from which immigrants come and thus protect their controversial detention centers in Albania, according to government sources telling EFE.

The strategy consists of shielding the list of safe countries, that is, those from which an immigrant does not have to escape, with this type of decrees with the force of law that are used in moments of “need or urgency”, having to be revalidated by Parliament within 60 days.

Meloni thus reacts to the decision of the Italian Justice to empty the detention center in Albania, where twelve immigrants from Egypt and Bangladesh remained, and force their transfer to Italy, which has outraged the Executive.

“This makes it a primary rule (…) to offer the application of a law of unequivocal interpretation, in our opinion. I say this with great respect for the judiciary,” Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in a press conference.

At the center of the issue is the opening in the Albanian towns of Shengjin and Gjader, on the other side of the Adriatic Sea, of two facilities – agreed with the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama – to detain migrants arriving in Italy and alleviate thus the pressure on their host network.

Last Wednesday, the first 16 immigrants – from Egypt and Bangladesh – arrived aboard the military ship ‘Libra’ but 4 of them had to be immediately returned to Italy, two because they were minors and two others because they were considered “vulnerable”.

However, on Friday the Court of Rome did not validate the retention of the remaining 12 immigrants and ordered their return to Italy, which has caused a strong clash between the Government and the judges.

The key to the debate is the consideration of “safe countries”, since the agreement with Albania establishes that only those immigrants who come from states where there are no reasonable rations to escape can be sent.

This has been denounced as interference and a violation of the separation of powers not only by Meloni’s party, the far-right Brothers of Italy, but also by his two coalition partners, Matteo Salvini’s League and Antonio Tajani’s Forza Italia. .

On the other hand, the Meloni Government was denounced this Monday to the Court of Auditors by the opposition 5 Star Movement (M5S) for spending “enormous” public funds on sending immigrants to its controversial centers in Albania.

Judicial setback

Last Friday, the judges of the Court of Rome did not validate the detention of the 12 people held since Wednesday in the migrant identification and repatriation centers built by Italy in Albania.

It was a first major judicial setback for the Giorgia Meloni Government’s plan, just as the European Union is opening up to replicating this model, with the endorsement of the President of the Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen.

The two facilities were opened last week after five months of delays and millions of euros in no-bid contracts.

The Court’s decision was influenced by a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union according to which a country can be considered safe only if it really is safe in its entirety. And the concept of a “safe country” is central to the operation of the operational protocol signed by Italy and Albania a year ago for the opening of the centers: only adult men from countries considered safe should be sent there.

The ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU on October 4 eliminated de facto from the list to several countries, including Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh. The 16 migrants initially taken to Albania – four of them were returned to Italy a few hours after landing in Albania, two for being minors and two for being considered “vulnerable” – were Egyptians and Bangladeshis.

“The refusal to validate detentions in Albanian facilities equated to Italian border or transit areas is due to the impossibility of recognizing the States of origin of the detained persons as ‘safe countries’, with the consequence of the inapplicability of the procedure of the border and, as provided for in the protocol, the transfer out of Albanian territory of the migrants, who therefore have the right to be taken to Italy,” explained in a statement Luciana Sangiovanni, the president of section 13 of the Court of Rome who has decided not to endorse the detention of this first group of migrants in the centers. That is, the migrants have to be transferred to Italy.

One of the key points of the agreement between Italy and Albania, as Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has repeated on more than one occasion, was that, under no circumstances, migrants could leave the centers, considered by Albania to be enclaves under Italian jurisdiction. .