Albania’s Constitutional Court announced on Monday that an agreement could be reached with Italy under which thousands of migrants rescued at sea by Italian authorities would be sent to Albania while their asylum claims are processed.
Thirty Albanian MPs tried to block the ratification of the agreement by taking it to court. Now the agreement signed in November between Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni can be voted on in parliament.
The head of the court, Holta Zacaj, stated that “the agreement is in accordance with the Constitution”.
Given that Rama’s left-wing Socialist Party holds 74 out of 140 seats in parliament, the agreement is expected to be adopted. No date has been set for the parliamentary debate and vote.
The deal, backed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen but strongly criticized by human rights groups, is part of Meloni’s push to share efforts to tackle the migrant issue with other European countries.
According to the agreement, two centers will be established in Albania to process the asylum requests of persons rescued by the Italian authorities in international waters.
The lower house of the Italian parliament approved the deal last week, and it awaits approval in the Senate, the upper house, where Meloni’s right-wing forces have a significant majority.
In Albania’s capital, Tirana, a small group gathered outside a courthouse to protest the deal.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the International Rescue Committee, strongly opposed the agreement.
The International Organization for Migration said on Monday that nearly a hundred people have died or gone missing in the central and eastern Mediterranean since the start of 2024. This is twice as much compared to the same period in 2023, which is considered the deadliest year for migrants at sea in Europe since 2016.
According to the five-year agreement with Italy, Albania would accept up to 3,000 migrants at any given time. Given that the processing of asylum applications is expected to take about a month, the number of asylum seekers sent to Albania could reach up to 36,000 persons in a year.
The two facilities in Albania would be fully managed by Italy, and Italy would quickly deal with their asylum requests. Italy would remain legally responsible for the migrants throughout the entire process. They would have the opportunity to be granted international protection or to organize their deportation from Albania if they are denied asylum.
Rama said that Albania stands by Meloni, as a sign of gratitude for the Albanians who found refuge in Italy and “escaped from hell and created a better life” after the collapse of communism in Albania in the 1990s, AP reports.
