The World Briefly
February 23, 2024Off-Shoring Humans
Italy
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The Albanian parliament approved an agreement Thursday to host thousands of asylum seekers for Italy, a deal aimed at tackling the influx of refugees and migrants entering the European Union, but which has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups, Al Jazeera reported.
Lawmakers from the ruling Socialist Party voted in favor of the migrant deal, while opposition legislators boycotted the move. The approval comes weeks after Italian lawmakers also voted in favor of the accord.
First signed between the two nations in November, the agreement will see Albania host and process up to 3,000 migrants and refugees at two Italian-managed centers near the port of Shengjin for periods of about a month.
It is expected that around 36,000 individuals annually could be sent to Albania.
Italy will retain legal responsibility for the asylum seekers throughout the processing period and will handle deportations from Albania in case of rejected claims for international protection.
The agreement is part of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s efforts to share the burden of addressing migration with other European nations, the Associated Press added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed support for the agreement, while other EU officials noted that the bloc has been contemplating “this type of operation.”
However, Albania is not part of the EU and the proposal to send asylum seekers outside the bloc remains controversial.
Many human rights advocates chided the agreement as “illegal and unworkable,” while Albania’s conservative opposition warned that it is an “irresponsible and dangerous act for national security.”
Migration has taken center stage in the upcoming European elections in June, with EU nations striving to pass crucial asylum and migration reforms before the polls.
Mainstream parties hope new rules will counter anti-migrant narratives propagated by populist and far-right groups.
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