The two migrant centers in Albania will be operational from next week. This was announced by the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi. “We plan to leave as early as next week, then we hope not: because it would mean not needing to take people there. It all depends on what happens in the Mediterranean and on the activities of traffickers”, he said during the Festival of Optimism. del Foglio in Florence.
“There will be no opening ceremony – adds Piantedosi – I will go there if necessary for reconnaissance. Nor will there be any cutting of barbed wire: the centers we are creating in Albania are similar to those created on the national territory, they are light containment, they are not CPR even if part of it is dedicated to detention and expulsion. There is no barbed wire but assistance: they are given the opportunity to apply for international protection and have it resolved within a few days. If the system shows rapid times to know whether people are eligible for international protection or not, and therefore to be expelled and brought back, there will certainly be a deterrent factor” concluded the minister.
The prime minister Giorgia Melonispeaking at the end of the Med9 summit in Cyprus, he explained that “the protocol that everyone knows by now between Italy and Albania will probably start in a few days in operational terms and which aims to be exactly this: an innovative solution in terms of governing migratory flows, fight against human traffickers”.
EU Court puts the Italy-Albania agreement at risk
However, it looms large on the Italy-Albania plan the sword of Damocles of the European Court. With the ruling of Friday 4 October, the judges in Luxembourg have in fact rejected the definition of “safe countries of origin” used by Italy in the plan, undermining the legal foundations on which the agreement with Tirana is based. This stop could blow up the entire plan, putting the Meloni government at a difficult crossroads to manage.
THE’agreement signed between Italy and Albania provides for the creation of reception centers in Albanian territory, in which adult male migrants from countries defined as “safe” should be detained while their asylum request is examined.
The first of these centers is expected to open in Gjader, northern Albania. However, the very recent ruling of the Cgue has called into question the entire regulatory framework on which this strategy is based. The Court has in fact clarified that the concept of safe country of origin, as applied by Italy, does not comply with current European legislation.
#Albania #migrant #centers #ready #week #Piantedosis #announcement