Rome, Nov 4 (EFE).- The Italian government led by the far-right Giorgia Meloni prepares to restart the relocation of immigrants to controversial detention centers built on Albanian soil despite ongoing legal disputes against this strategy.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi announced on Monday that operations to transport migrants to Albania “can resume,” although the Navy’s ship “Libra” must first finalize some logistical issues on board.
The vessel has departed from the Sicilian port of Messina towards the waters near the island of Lampedusa in the central Mediterranean to intercept boats departing from North Africa.
On board the Libra, an initial assessment of potential rescues will be conducted, as only migrants from “safe countries” would be sent to Albania.
Afterwards, some will be taken to the Albanian detention centers in Gjader and Shengjin.
On Oct. 16, the “Libra” transported the first 16 immigrants from Egypt and Bangladesh to Albania.
Shortly after, four migrants were immediately returned to Italy for being minors or vulnerable, while the remaining 12 were taken out from the Albanian centers by a decision from the International Criminal Court.
The judges argued that neither Egypt nor Bangladesh are safe countries, citing a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice that has led to a bitter standoff with the executive branch.
In response, the government has expanded the list of “safe countries,” including Egypt and Bangladesh, allowing immigrants from these countries to be detained in Albania to speed up their possible repatriation.
These are the 19 newly approved safe countries by the new legislation issued three days after the Rome Court ruling: Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Morocco, Montenegro, Peru, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia.
A court in Bologna has referred Meloni’s “decree on safe countries” to the Community judiciary for conflicting with European legislation, questioning how an entire country can be safe if there is evidence of the persecution of minorities. EFE
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