An agreement between Rome and Tirana externalizes the management of asylum requests to Albanian territory.

On Tuesday, around 1,000 migrants arrived on the island of Lampedusa, while Italy began transferring migrants to detention and retention centers in Albania.

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In the past 24 hours, Italian authorities recorded 23 landings in Lampedusa, an Italian territory that serves as the epicenter of the Mediterranean migration route due to its proximity to North Africa.

In 2024, Italy has seen the number of people arriving in the country via this route decrease by almost two-thirds, following the adoption of strict policies by the far-right government of Giorgia Meloni, who has made the prevention of irregular migration a key element of her agenda.

On Tuesday, the Meloni administration transferred a first group of 16 migrants to detention centers in Albania. This is part of a controversial agreement between Rome and Tirana that externalizes the management of asylum requests and the repatriation of migrants to Albanian soil.

The two centers established in Albania have been operational since last week, when Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi announced that the transfer of irregular African migrants would begin as soon as possible. Italy will transfer male migrants arriving via the Mediterranean route, who come from countries deemed safe and are not in a vulnerable situation, to Albania.

On Tuesday, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an organization that frequently carries out migrant rescue missions in the Mediterranean, condemned the implementation of the Italy-Albania agreement.

“This measure raises significant human rights concerns, particularly regarding the right to freedom, access to protection, and to proper asylum procedures… It also contravenes Italy’s obligations under international and European law,” MSF said.

teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE

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