Italy Dispatches First Migrants to Albania Under Controversial Asylum Agreement

Oct 14, 2024, 01:55 PM

Italy has begun transferring migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea to newly established processing centers in Albania, marking a first in European migration policy where an EU member state processes asylum seekers in a non-EU country. On October 14, Italian authorities dispatched the first group of migrants to the two centers in Albania, which are designed to process male migrants intercepted in international waters. Italian Ambassador to Albania Fabrizio Bucci announced that "as of today, the two centers are ready and operational." The transfer of up to 36,000 migrants from 21 designated 'safe' countries is part of a controversial agreement reached between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. The centers can accommodate up to 3,000 men per month. The initiative aims to ease the pressure on Italy's asylum system amid a surge in migrant arrivals by sea. However, human rights organizations have criticized the plan, raising concerns about the treatment of migrants and the legality of processing asylum seekers outside the European Union.