Italy sends 49 immigrants to Albania

In Albania, they will proceed with asylum applications and then be sent to the centre in Turkey.

This is the third attempt to accommodate immigrants in Albania, as Italian courts had previously banned such a thing.

The Italian Interior Ministry has not specified the nationality of immigrants sent to the port of Stryjin, but the media in Italy have reported that it is about persons from Bangladesh, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire and Gambia.

The effort for processing in Albania comes after two failed October and November efforts, when Italian judges refused to approve orders for banning two small groups of migrants at centres in Albania under an agreement between Italy and Albania. Courts ruled that immigrant countries were not safe for them if asylum applications were refused and migrants returned to their countries.

Cases have been sent to the European Court of Justice, which earlier ruled that asylum seekers cannot undergo accelerated procedures that could lead to repatriation if their countries of origin are not deemed completely secure.

The hearing for the case at the European Court of Justice is scheduled for 25 February.

The government of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Melon, has vowed to reopen the two migrants' centres in Albania, as they remain empty following Italian court decisions.

Melon's stance is supported in part by a December Supreme Court decision by Italy, in which Italian judges said they cannot replace government policies in terms of the decision of which states are safe for the repatriation of migrants who have been denied asylum demand.

This ruling allows courts of lower levels to make such definitions, on the basis of individual cases, without deciding on general policy.

Migrants are expected to register at the waiting centre at Stryjin's port and then be sent to the refuge centre in Gjader.

The agreement between Italy and Albania on immigrants, reached in November 2023, allows up to 3,000 immigrants captured by Italian coast guards in international waters every month to be accommodated in Albania, where they will undergo verification of possible asylum seizures in Italy.

The five-year deal is said to cost Italy 160m euros annually.

Under the deal, procedures for migrants will be conducted in two centres.

The first centre in Stryjin will be used for refugee identification procedures, while the second centre, in Gjader, about 20 kilometers from the port, will serve their refuge until asylum demands are processed.

The centres will operate under Italian law, with Italian security staff, while judges will hold hearings through video connection from Rome.

Migrants who gain asylum will be welcomed to Italy, meanwhile, those denied asylum demand, under the agreement, will be repatriated directly from Albania.

Human rights activists have criticised the deal, saying it creates a dangerous precedent.

So far this year, 3,704 immigrants have arrived in Italy, or twice as much as in the same period last year, when 1,305 immigrants were.

Last year 66,317 immigrants arrived in Italy, or 58 percent less than the previous year. Most immigrants were from Bangladesh, Syria, Tunisia, and Egypt, according to Italian Interior Ministry data. /Radio Europe Free