The Italian authorities have drafted a decree to resolve the legal dispute that has arisen over transit centers for migrants in Albania. According to it, the government will primarily adhere to the principle of returning migrants to countries considered safe, and their list will be analyzed and updated. Currently, there are 19 countries on it.
On Monday, the government Italian adopted a decree aimed at overcoming court opposition to its flagship migration plan of sending migrants to camps in Albania. The plan, announced last week, was immediately called into question when a Rome court ruled that the first group of asylum seekers had to be brought to Italy.
The decree is a response to the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which “is complicated and written in French,” said Justice Minister Carlo Nordio at a press conference.
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He added that perhaps the judges from Rome who ruled on Friday that migrants from Bangladesh and Egyptplaced in the new transit center in Albania established by the Italian authorities, cannot stay there because they come from countries that are not considered safe.
Pursuant to this ruling, 12 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea and sent to an Albanian center were, after three days of stay, transferred to Italy, to a facility in Bari for asylum seekers.
Giorgia Meloni's government has drafted a decree on migrationFILIPPO ATTILI/PAP/EPA
Tension between the Melonia government and the judges' association
This course of events undermined the sense of the Italian government's new approach to migration management and caused the Albanian project to “sink” – commentators of the largest newspapers emphasized over the weekend.
There was also serious tension between the Meloni government and the association of Italian judges, because the Minister of Justice considered the judgment of the court in Rome to be “incorrect”.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opens a reception center in Albania for migrants sent back by ItalyJUAN IGNACIO RONCORONI/PAP/EPA
The Minister of Interior Matteo Piantedosi said that the decree is intended to both speed up the procedures for examining asylum applications and prevent people who should leave Italy because they do not have the right to asylum from avoiding it.
When asked about the costs of maintaining two centers in Albania, criticized by the opposition, estimated at several hundred million euros, Piantedosi replied with a question: “How much does it cost to transfer migrants from Lampedusa to Sicily every day? How much does the reception system in the centers cost?” – Every year, the Ministry of the Interior spends EUR 1.7 billion to help people, 60-70 percent of whom will not receive asylum – added the minister.
19 countries on the list
In a decree on migration, the Italian government announced a list of 19 countries considered safe. These include Egypt and Bangladesh, as well as: Albania, AlgeriaBosnia-Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Georgia, GhanaKosovo, North Macedonia, MoroccoMontenegro, Peru, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
Main photo source: FILIPPO ATTILI/PAP/EPA