This article was originally published in English
The European Commission reacted cautiously to the migration agreement between Italy and Albania, limiting itself to warning that it must comply with EU and international legislation.
ADVERTISING
“We are in contact with the Italian authorities because we need to see the details. We ask for detailed information about this type of agreement,” said a spokesman for the European Commission this Tuesday afternoon.
The agreement was the first of its kind for an EU member state announced on Monday by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama during a bilateral meeting in Rome.
Under the unexpected deal, Italy will set up two reception centers in the Balkan country. The asylum applications of the migrants rescued by the Italian authorities in the Mediterranean are processed there and are disembarked in the Albanian coastal town of Shëngjin. The centers will have the capacity to accommodate up to 3,000 migrants at a time, Meloni explained, with the goal of processing 36,000 applications per year. Pregnant women, children and vulnerable people are excluded.
The costs and maintenance of the infrastructure will be borne by Rome, while Tirana has agreed to provide external security and surveillance services. The start is planned for spring 2024. The two centers will be subject to Italian jurisdiction, a point that raises concerns about the extraterritorial application of Italian and EU law in a non-EU country.27.
“Member states are not prohibited from taking measures under national law to enable the lodging of asylum applications by persons from third countries,” the Commission spokesman said, “but this must be done without prejudice to the full application” of EU asylum rules.
The question of who will be responsible for deporting rejected applicants remains unclear. Initial reports suggested that the task would be carried out by the Albanian authorities, but Prime Minister Rama later stated that it would initially fall on the shoulders of Italy. The agreement was reached at the political level and has yet to be “followed by any resulting regulatory provisions,” Meloni said.
The news immediately drew comparisons to the controversial migration deal between the UK and Rwanda, under which asylum seekers would be transferred from British territory to the African country while their claims were assessed. The deal remains blocked by British courts and there have been no deportations.
Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, explained the year The British plan was “not a humane and dignified migration policy,” while Austria recently claimed this open to explore a Rwanda-style agreement with a non-EU country.
Asked about the comparison, the Commission spokesman denied the similarity, saying the Italian-Albanian plan would apply to those who have not yet reached Italian shores. “We must first understand the Italian case before going into details. According to initial information, this is not the same case. But we will need detailed information here too,” said the spokesman.
The news from Rome comes as the bloc’s immigration reform enters its final phase. The reform includes a faster “border procedure” for examining asylum claims from applicants from countries with a low recognition rate, such as Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Pakistan. The procedure should last a maximum of 12 weeks.
In parallel with the reform, member states are pushing to strengthen the so-called “external dimension” of migration, a coded language for partnerships with non-EU countries to prevent migrant boats from leaving. Italy, which saw the irregular arrival of more than 145,000 migrants this year, has become one of the strongest supporters of this new policy.
“I believe that (the agreement) could become a model for cooperation between EU and non-EU countries in managing migration flows,” assured Meloni Interview with Il Messaggero, in which he stated that he had informed the Commission in advance and had not received a negative response. “I believe that this agreement is characterized by a bold European spirit,” he defended.
However, the most tangible result of the external dimension – the Memorandum of Understanding with Tunisia – was seenhas been hit by disagreements, setbacks and controversial returns since he was signed in mid-July.