Rome's controversial plan to deal with the influx of migrants has just started. The first group of migrants who wanted to get to Italy is being transported to new transit centers in Albania. The idea behind the initiative is for migrants to be intercepted at sea and sent to facilities while their asylum applications are being considered.
The first group of migrants who tried to get to Italy was sent by Italian Navy ship to new transit centers in Albania, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. She added that already on board the ship, the migrants rescued at sea were subjected to the first inspections.
The transit centers to which they are being transported were established under the agreement between Rome and Tirana, concluded a year ago by the prime ministers of Italy and Albania – Giorgia Meloni and Edi Rama. This is the first initiative of this type.
These places, managed by the Italian side and financed by the authorities in Rome, officially opened on Friday, October 11. They are located in the towns of Shengjin and Gjader.
Italian transit center for migrants in Albania in ShengjinReuters
Italian transit center for migrants in Albania in GjaderReuters
What awaits migrants?
The assumption of this initiative is that some migrants trying to get to Italy will be placed in transfer centers in Albania, i.e. outside the European Union. This is what the Italian side intended to discourage migrants from going to Italy, since they will not reach the EU and will be taken to Albanian territory straight from the sea.
Migrants will be sent there while their asylum applications are considered and it is determined whether they meet the conditions to receive it.
Migrants who wanted to go to Italy come here. A transit center for migrants in Albania from the inside
The agreement in this matter was criticized by the Italian opposition, pointing to the high costs of maintaining these facilities.
About 500 Italian prison guards, policemen, soldiers and carabinieri will serve in both of these centers in Albania. Up to three thousand migrants will stay there at a time. However, asylum applications are to be processed quickly, within about a month.
Under the terms of the agreement, up to 36,000 migrants can be sent to Albania every year, provided they come from the list of safe countries.
Prime Minister Meloni previously argued that the authorities of other countries were contacting her government because they wanted to know the details of this initiative. The daily “Il Giornale” reported that the Meloni-Rama agreement is being analyzed by Great Britain, France and Hungary, which are interested in establishing transition centers on similar principles.
Main photo source: Reuters