Italy spends for the third time a plan to deport migrants to Albania news

Today, Saturday, a ship belonging to the Italian Navy returned 43 immigrants from the port of Shangin in Albania to Italy, after a court of appeal in Rome refused to approve their immediate deportation.

The move came to be a third disappointment for the government of Italian Prime Minister Georgia Miloni, as part of her attempts to transfer the treatment of asylum applications outside the borders of the European Union.

On Friday, the Court of Appeal in Rome referred the case to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, which means that the detention of migrants in Albania has become a legal dispute that may continue for months.

Migrants were part of a group of 49 people who were intercepted while trying to cross the Mediterranean, before they were transferred to Albania last Tuesday. 4 immigrants were immediately returned to Italy for being minors, while the fate of a fifth immigrant is still unclear.

In October and November 2023, Italian judges refused to approve the deportation of the first groups of immigrants to Albania, based on a previous decision of the European Court of Justice, stipulating that any country cannot be considered “safe” in general, as long as some Its areas are unsafe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbbovi7d70o

According to the agreement signed by Meloni with Albanian Prime Minister Eddie Rama, Italy is addressing the requests of migrants to resort to special detention centers within the Albanian territory, with the aim of accelerating the deportations of those who reject their requests.

The plan to transfer immigrants to Albania is part of a broader strategy followed by Meloni’s government to reduce illegal immigration, as Italy has signed a 5 -year agreement to address up to 3 thousand immigrants per month outside the borders of the European Union.

The decision to refer the case to the European Court of Justice may lead to the freezing of the agreement, as the court will consider the legality of the detention of migrants outside the territory of the European Union.

The European Court is expected to issue its decision on February 25, amid the escalation of criticism from human rights organizations that see in the plan a violation of the rights of asylum seekers.