Government-aligned MEPs have defended the plan to detain migrants arriving in Albania rather than Italy, a move NGOs have described as “cruel”.
The construction of two reception centers for Italian immigrants in Albania, which was initially scheduled to open last May, is still underway, with no clear date in sight. Furthermore, now that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced another postponement, it is unlikely that these controversial centers open before the end of this year.
The centers are part of a five year agreement under which Albania has agreed to host immigrant reception facilities financed and managed by the Italian authorities.
Forza Italia MEP Flavio Tosi told ‘Euronews’ that “the opening should take place at the end of the year, in accordance with certain construction and bureaucracy deadlines.” Although he acknowledges that the centers’ initial costs are substantial, he several million eurosthe real cost of illegal migration includes prevention measures and the use of the Coast Guard.
“Immigrants in Italy cost about 1,000 euros per monthso the price to pay to open these facilities is irrelevant compared to the overall cost of managing the migration as a whole,” he said.
The controversial Italian-Albanian plan has been the subject of important criticisms, but the Italian Government insists that it is a necessary measure to curb illegal immigration and relieve pressure on existing Italian reception centres.
According to the agreement, Albania will host 36,000 asylum seekers annually on behalf of Italywhile the Italian authorities will examine their cases to determine if they meet the requirements for repatriation.
Some opposition organizations and parties maintain that the plan violates basic human rights. Riccardo Noury, spokesman for Amnesty International Italy, said his organization has serious concerns about the plan itself and the general European trend to shift responsibility for processing migrants’ applications.
“We are very concerned about the externalization of migration policies and how they are being implemented,” he told Euronews. “The plan appears to involve automatic detention of migrants for long periods, which violates international law.
“The majority of these people will be classified as ineligible for international protection and will be sent back to their countries. “This agreement is cruel and aims to discourage migrants by violating their rights.”.
Responding to these concerns, Tosi said that Albania’s EU accession process ensures that human rights are respected. He also highlighted the importance of strengthening relations with some of the departure countries, especially in Africa.
The outsourcing option
The outsourcing of asylum procedures is gaining ground among EU Member States. Francesco Cherubini, professor of EU Law at Luiss University, explained that these policies began to gain ground with the 2015 crisis in the Mediterranean.
“The externalization of migration policies is a model that has convinced several Member States due to its many advantages,” he told Euronews. “It is very effective because it prevents migrants from being directly under the authority of the European country of final arrival, which implies respecting fundamental rights that could pose problems of political consensus.”
Cherubini also noted that this approach has at least two major problems.
“The first is that we deliver the migrant to a country like Libya or Turkey and problems arise regarding their human rights“, said. “The other is the cost what it means to implement these policies.”
Despite the controversies, The “Italian model” has aroused the interest of other countries. Cherubini points out that before Italy, “Britain did something similar with Rwanda. There are differences between both cases, but in both the level of cooperation with the third country is significant.”
However, UK policy in Rwanda faced significant challenges. obstacles in national courts and only a handful of people were sent to the African country voluntarily. The recent change of Government in London has caused the plan to be scrapped completely.
