On November 8, an Italian navy ship, Libra, arrived in Shengjin, Albania, carrying a small group of migrants as part of an agreement between Italy and Albania to process asylum seekers outside of Italy. This initiative, aimed at easing Italy’s migration pressures, follows earlier challenges that raised questions over the legality of processing migrants in a non-EU country.
The Libra docked at the Albanian port around 8 a.m. local time, carrying only eight migrants rescued near the Italian island of Lampedusa earlier in the week. Italy has established two reception centers in Albania, located in Shengjin and Gjader, staffed by Italian personnel. This project represents the first effort by an EU country to redirect asylum processing to a non-EU location. The agreement between Italy and Albania stipulates that no more than 3,000 migrants can be housed in Albania at any given time.
An initial group of 16 migrants was sent to Albania last month. However, most of them were soon returned to Italy after a Rome court ruled that they could not legally be detained in Albania due to concerns over their legal rights. The Rome court’s decision was influenced by a recent European Court of Justice ruling, which states that a non-EU country cannot be considered “safe” for asylum purposes unless its entire territory is deemed free from danger. This led to the return of the first group to Italy, where they were moved to unsecured asylum centers.
There has been speculation that Italy may focus on sending Tunisians to Albania under this deal, as Tunisia is considered relatively stable compared to other nations. The initial group included migrants from Egypt and Bangladesh, which Italy has classified as “safe” countries, suggesting these migrants could be repatriated more quickly. However, the court’s concerns over safety classifications have complicated Italy’s attempts to redirect asylum seekers.
This Italy-Albania partnership reflects ongoing efforts within the EU to manage migration more effectively, but legal and human rights challenges remain central issues in implementing such programs.