Albania’s Parliament has given the green light to a deal with Italy wherein migrants rescued from international waters will be held at Italian-run processing centers based in Albania. The approval mirrors the escalating migration challenge facing Europe, driven in part by the conflict in Ukraine. Notably, the arrangement previously faced condemnation from Amnesty International, which described the plan as “unworkable, harmful and unlawful.”
Under the deal, two new centers will be established in Albania—one at the port of Shengjin to receive and screen migrants, the other further inland serving as the venue for subsequent asylum procedures. The centers are projected to hold up to 3,000 migrants while aiming to achieve a yearly processing rate of around 36,000.
Italy, which has been experiencing an influx of asylum seekers, views the deal as a means to combat human trafficking and prevent illegal migration. These goals were clearly articulated by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni in a recent press release.
Despite receiving the green light from the Albanian government, the arrangement has been met with sharp criticism from human rights groups. In addition to Amnesty International’s denouncement, Human Rights Watch voiced concerns over potential rights violations under the proposed setup, citing potential arbitrary detention of migrants.
Moreover, The International Rescue Committee’s Italy Country Director, Susanna Zanfrini, expressed legal concerns, noting that the agreement fails to explicitly confirm the exclusion of children or vulnerable individuals from automatic detention policy and raises questions on the access to proper legal advice for detainees.
Adding to this chorus of opposition, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic stated to Euronews Albania that a lack of legal certainty could potentially undermine human rights safeguards and blur accountability for violations.
Despite these objections, the Constitutional Court of Albania approved the plan in January, finding no violation of the country’s sovereignty or impact on its territorial integrity. The ambiguity regarding the applicability of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union to the agreement still persists, since these centers will be under Italian jurisdiction but located in Albania, a non-EU nation.
The centers are expected to be operational by the spring, marking a new chapter in the handling of Europe’s migration situation.