On Thursday, the Albanian parliament ratified a migration agreement with Italy that allows it to build migrant processing centers in the Balkan country.
Seventy-seven members of the 140-seat parliament voted in favor of the agreement, announced in November, under which EU member Italy would open two migrant processing centers in non-EU Albania.
In one center, migrants would be screened upon arrival, and in the other they would be while their asylum applications were being processed. Migrants would then be allowed to enter Italy or be repatriated.
The agreement was contested before the Albanian Constitutional Court by representatives of the opposition Democratic Party, who claimed that it violates the constitution by transferring territories and state powers to another country.
The Constitutional Court rejected their objections and gave the green light for the agreement last month. Brussels said that the Italian plans do not violate EU laws, Hina reports.
