Meloni hails Italy-Albania migration deal

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni hailed her government's agreement with Tirana to run migrant centres in Albania in a video message to an immigration crime summit in London organized by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"With Keir we agree that we must not be afraid to come up with and build innovative solutions, such as the one Italy started with Albania," said Meloni, the leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, CE Report quotes ANSA.

"(It is) a model that was criticised at the beginning but then it gained more and more support, so much so that today the European Union is proposing setting up repatriation centres in third countries.

"This means that we were right, and that our courage to lead the way has been rewarded".

On Friday, the government approved a decree allowing one of two Italian-run facilities in Albania to be used as a repatriation centre (CPR) for irregular migrants, including foreigners who have received an expulsion or a detention order in Italy.

The move comes after the implementation of the protocol between Rome and Tirana for the fast-track processing of asylum seekers at two facilities Italy opened in Albania last October has so far been stymied by Italian courts.

The centres of Gjader, which already has a CPR, and Shengjin are currently empty after Italy's courts failed to validate the detention of the first three groups of migrants taken there in October, November and January.

The European Court of Justice began hearing the case on the Italy-Albania protocol last month.

The Luxembourg judges need to examine referrals filed by Italian courts which have yet to recognise the legitimacy of detentions ordered against migrants rescued by Italian Navy vessels in the Mediterranean and transferred to the other side of the Adriatic because they come from countries considered safe by the Italian government, namely Egypt and Bangladesh.

The EU Court is conducting the examination in an accelerated manner, recognising the importance of the issue, and a ruling is expected before the summer.

Under the decree approved by the government on Friday, the facility of Gjader will have 144 places and will host irregular migrants directly transferred from Italy, joining the national network of CPRs.

However, its original function dedicated to accelerated border procedures will be maintained ahead of the EU court's decision.