EU asks for more information on Meloni’s move to send asylum seekers to Albania
Brussels: The EU got “practically zero notice” of Giorgia Meloni’s deal to send thousands of migrants to Albania for asylum processing, it is understood.
An official spokespersion said it had had “been informed” but declined to say when they had been told of the controversial plan the Italian prime minister unveiled yesterday.
The spokesperson said: “We have asked for detailed information.”
“We need to see the details of this arrangement so we can speak about this assessements [and] implications.”
Parallels are already being drawn between the UK’s deal with Rwanda, something that the commissioner responsible for migration, Ylva Johansson, was critical of in 2018.
Italy’s far-right government announced plans on Monday to establish centres in Albania to accommodate asylum seekers, hailing it as a “historic” deal with Tirana to manage migration flows.
Giorgia Meloni said Italy’s agreement with Albania “could become a model of cooperation between EU and non-EU countries in managing migration flows”.
The European Commission said any agreement that Italy enters into with Albanian in relation to processing asylum claims must respect EU and international law.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states agreed on measures to deal with a large number of migrants arriving in the country. Scholz said the agreements will contribute to speeding up asylum procedures and restricting social benefits paid to asylum seekers and will be backed up by more funding.
Giulia Spagna, country director for Italy at the Danish Refugee Council, said that while details have yet to be seen, the deal between Italy and Albania appears to fit a trend of efforts to externalise Europe’s borders to a third country.
Giorgia Linardi, a spokesperson for the rescue NGO Sea-Watch, said the “agreement with Albania represents a new frontal attack by the Italian government to international and EU asylum law, exploiting the desire of international recognition and the fragility of third countries to evade its responsibilities on asylum”.
The International Rescue Committee said today that Italy’s migration agreement with Albania is dehumanising and “strikes a further blow to the principle of EU solidarity”.
Swedish ministers sent a letter to EU institutions calling for security cooperation to be strengthened and an effective migration return policy to be implemented.
The French senate is continuing to debate a controversial immigration law which the government says will improve security for legal immigration, but which the left says marks a lurch to the right by Emmanuel Macron and will result in more people being expelled and tougher conditions.
The Platform for Undocumented Migrants says we have “not a very cheerful” blog today.
Italian MEP Brando Benifei, a member of the Democratic party (PD), has sharply criticised Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s deal with Albania to process migrants.
The MEP wrote on social media that the agreement between Albania and Italy is wrong and does not solve any problems, noting that his party’s delegation has submitted a question to the European Commission.
The International Rescue Committee said today that Italy’s migration agreement with Albania is dehumanising and “strikes a further blow to the principle of EU solidarity”.
Imogen Sudbery, IRC’s senior director for Europe Advocacy, said that “everyone has the fundamental right to apply for asylum – regardless of where they are from, or how they arrive.”
She added: “This latest decision by Italy is part of a concerning trend that undermines this right – focusing on preventing people from reaching Europe, rather than welcoming them with dignity and respect.
This is not the first time a member state has looked into this possibility but there are fundamental reasons why these past proposals have not gone ahead: the process of offshoring is beset with numerous flaws on moral, legal and practical grounds.”
Sudbery also said that “if individual countries go their own way, there is little chance of EU states forging a coherent approach that works for all – people seeking safety, and host communities alike.”
She also stressed that “it is vital that EU states uphold and strengthen the right to claim asylum on their territory,” adding:
Any migration partnerships struck with non-EU countries must be conditional on upholding the fundamental rights of people on the move.
