Italy has an intention to convert its facilities in Albania into repatriation centers. An alternative that may prove viable upon the implementation of EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner’s migration plan – writes Euractiv.de.
Despite the fact that the migrant reception centers in Shëngjin and Gjadër, Albania, have been operational since October, they are currently unoccupied as a result of ongoing legal disputes.
A judgment from the European Court of Justice is still pending and is anticipated to be issued by the end of May. The Rome tribunal had referred the case to the court in order to ascertain which countries can be designated as “safe” for returning migrants.
The Italian government is contemplating the conversion of the facilities into permanent return centers (CPR) in order to resolve the impasse that has arisen prior to the verdict. Instead of receiving migrants intercepted in international waters, as was originally intended, the centers would be utilized to house irregular migrants who are already in Italy and to facilitate their deportation.
The Facilities would be Rebranded as “Multipurpose Centers”
Matteo Piantedosi, the Interior Minister, verified a portion of the plan in an interview with La Stampa on Monday, following months of speculation. “The repatriation system for irregular migrants who lack the right to remain in Italy could be fortified by the Albanian centers,” he stated. As they are already outfitted for deportations, the centers could be converted to accommodate permanent repatriations without incurring additional expenses.
The government is preparing to sanction the use of the centers as repatriation facilities in the lead-up to the 28th Cabinet meeting, which is scheduled for March 1, according to Italian media reports. Nevertheless, this would necessitate a modification to the current agreements with Albania.
Nevertheless, the situation in Tirana is anything but straightforward following the opposition’s criticism of the agreement. Albania will conduct elections on May 1st.
However, Piantedosi later downplayed the situation and clarified that the migration centers in Albania are unable to serve as the initial reception centers, as there is already one in a multi-purpose facility. “We must activate it as soon as possible to ensure that the available spaces in the initial reception centers throughout the country are restored,” and it was emphasized that “this will not alter its original function, which is a multi-purpose function.”
An Absurd Transformation
The plan was criticized by the leader of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, who stated, “The protocol only permits a small portion of the Albanian centers to be used as permanent return centers. Consequently, their transformation would still necessitate a revision of the agreement with Albania and an amendment to the law.” The assertion that this conversion would not result in any additional expenses is absurd. Furthermore, one of the two centers in Shëngjin is not even outfitted with accommodations, rendering it practically useless.
The migrant centers are situated about 60 kilometers northwest of Tirana, and it was touted as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s grand solution to Europe’s migration crisis. The center would have served as her flagship plan to intercept, detain, and process asylum-seekers in Albania.
However, after a year and €67.5 million, the program is in a state of legal limbo, with no way to process asylum-seekers, abandoned buildings that are already collapsing, and Italian employees going back to their homes.