Italy wants to accommodate refugees rescued at sea in a reception center in Albania in the future. The Italian Chamber of Deputies has now approved the agreement. Criticism comes from human rights groups.
The migration agreement between Italy and Albania has taken a decisive step forward: the Italian Chamber of Deputies approved a bill to ratify the agreement.
The proposal was approved by 155 votes to 115 with two abstentions and will now be submitted to the Senate, where the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also has a majority.
Opposition sees expensive “election propaganda”
During the debate in the Italian Parliament, opposition MPs accused ultra-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of using refugees for her “election propaganda.” According to them, the agreement has little impact on the number of migrants in Italy, but is very expensive. The opposition estimates the cost of the five-year term of the refugee agreement at more than 650 million euros.
Reception centers planned for thousands of migrants
Around two months ago, Meloni and Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama signed a declaration of intent that provides for the establishment of the reception centers. It is intended for people who were previously taken on board by the authorities on the high seas on the way to Italy. According to the plans, asylum applications will be examined there and, if necessary, faster returns made possible.
The centers will be set up in the port of Shengjin on the Adriatic and in Gjader. They are intended for around 3,000 people. Italy should manage the centers. They should be ready for operation as early as this year. Albania will help monitor the facilities.
The organization Amnesty International warned that the agreement would violate human rights. She denounced an “automatic and possibly prolonged detention” of migrants.
The agreement is still being judicially reviewed in Albania
The Albanian Constitutional Court suspended ratification of the agreement in December pending a review of its constitutionality. Rama said he was confident the court would not find any violation.
Italy has long sought help from other EU countries to accommodate the tens of thousands of migrants who arrive in the country each year. Albania hopes to join the EU and Italy has strongly supported the bid.
Praise and criticism from EUCommission chief
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement as an important initiative to tackle migration. However, human rights groups expressed concerns that Italy was shirking its international obligations.
The British government is currently trying to implement a similar agreement with the African state of Rwanda, but is encountering resistance.