Dozens of migrants left Albania in Italian custody on Saturday after a ruling by Rome’s Court of Appeals mandated their transfer to Italy, Arab News reported. An Italian boat carrying 43 migrants departed from Shengjin, following their arrival in Albania earlier in the week. The migrants, primarily from Bangladesh, along with some from Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Gambia, were initially intercepted while attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s plan to outsource migrant processing to Albania has faced legal challenges and criticism from rights groups. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is currently reviewing legal questions regarding the designation of safe countries for asylum seekers.
Meloni signed an agreement with Albanian counterpart Edi Rama in November 2023 to open two Italian-run centers in Albania. The centers became operational in October, but after judges ruled against the detentions of the first two groups transferred there, they were sent back to Italy. Like many other countries, Italy has a list of “safe countries” from which asylum seekers can have their applications fast-tracked.
Meloni’s government recently reduced its safe country list from 22 to 19, asserting that all areas within those nations are safe. However, judges have blocked transfers pending further clarification from the ECJ, with a hearing provisionally set for February.
