Politics Italy brings migrants to Albania again
Despite previous defeats in court, Italy is once again taking migrants to a reception center in Albania. The Italian navy ship Cassiopea has taken 49 migrants on board in the Mediterranean off Lampedusa to bring them to the camp, the Ministry of the Interior in Rome announced. The ship is reportedly already on its way there.
26.01.2025, 13:03
SDA
The procedures for the reception, accommodation and individual examination of the cases are to be initiated there, it added. The number of 53 additional migrants who voluntarily presented their passports in order to avoid being transferred to Albania is remarkable. This is of particular importance, as it allows the individual status of people to be checked more quickly. This would increase the chances of repatriating people who have no right of residence in the EU more quickly.
The right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is thus resuming its plan to have asylum applications from certain migrants decided in the non-EU state of Albania, despite the fact that the legal situation has not been fully clarified and a decision by the European Court of Justice is still pending. This concerns refugees who, in the government's view, come from safe countries of origin.
More migrants in January
Around 1,750 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of January, significantly more than in the same period last year with just under 1,300, according to the report. Almost 500 people arrived on January 20 alone.
As in the previous year, patrol boats from the coast guard or financial police are now to intercept boats with migrants on their way to Italy in international waters. If the migrants meet the requirements for the procedure sought by Italy - male, adult, healthy and from so-called safe countries - they are to be brought to Albania.
Legal situation not fully clarified
Last year, judges twice lifted the detention of migrants in the two camps in Albania. They had pointed out that the migrants did not come from safe countries to which they could be sent back.
In December, however, there was a decision by the Supreme Court, which the government is now apparently relying on. According to this, the government can make a differentiated regulation for asylum applications from people from countries classified as safe. However, judges could decide on a case-by-case basis whether the classification is lawful. There could be more clarity when the European Court of Justice deals with the matter - this is likely to happen in February.
