Italy will open two centers in Albania – which is not a member of the European Union – to receive migrants rescued at sea. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed an agreement with her Albanian counterpart Idil Rama.
The two Italian-run centers are scheduled to become operational by the spring of next year. It will be able to accommodate up to 3,000 migrants, or about 39,000 per year according to current projections. This is evidenced by a document provided by government services to Agence France-Presse.
The two reception centers must allow the processing of asylum applications and potential repatriation procedures to be processed quickly. The first center will be located in Shëngjin Port. There the migrants will be disembarked and identified. The center in Gadir is responsible for further procedures.
Both centers will be subject to Italian jurisdiction. The Albanian Police is responsible for protection and surveillance.
Along with Rama, Meloni said the Italo-Albanian agreement does not include “minors, pregnant women and vulnerable people.”
European Union membership
Italy has witnessed the arrival of 145,000 migrants since January, compared to 88,000 in the same period last year. Rome appealed to European partners for solidarity, but received no response. “When Italy makes a call, Albania is there,” Rama said. He receives Meloni’s support for Albania’s membership in the European Union.
She added: “Albania confirms that it is a friendly country, and although it is not yet a member of the European Union, it acts as if it were a member state.” “I am proud that Italy has always been one of the countries supporting expansion in the Western Balkans.”
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