Italy transfers refugees to Albania
Italy, despite a legal defeat in its first attempt, has once again transferred refugees to Albania. After a day of sailing across the Mediterranean Sea, a ship of the Italian navy arrived in the port of the Albanian city of Shengjin with eight migrants on board. The migrants, eight men from Egypt and Bangladesh, were intercepted on a boat heading towards Europe near the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa. Italy is the first EU country to establish refugee camps outside of the EU. The two Albanian camps, which were delayed in starting operations, will process asylum requests at a rapid pace, allowing those who are qualified to continue on to Italy while others will be sent back. However, the legal legitimacy of the camps is being challenged.
Legal challenges and political backlash
The initial attempt was unsuccessful in court last month, as 16 men from Egypt and Bangladesh had to be brought to Italy due to an Italian court ruling that neither of those countries was a safe country of origin. This was a significant setback for Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right party Fratelli d’Italia, who believes that the responsibility lies with the government, not the judiciary, to determine safe countries of origin. The government subsequently issued a decree listing 19 allegedly safer countries of origin, although its legality is being questioned in court, with Italian courts referring to a ruling of the European Court of Justice.
- Italian government under Meloni pushes migrant policy boundaries
- Vice Prime Minister Matteo Salvini faces up to six years in prison for preventing a boat with refugees in distress from entering a port during his tenure as Minister of the Interior
- Italian migration approach controversial within the EU but carefully observed as a potential model, especially by right-wing governments
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