Italian Senate gives final approval to negotiations with Albania on admitting migrants undergoing asylum procedures

The bill was previously approved by the House of Representatives and passed 93-61. The proposal is currently awaiting consideration by the Albanian parliament after being granted permission by the Albanian Constitutional Court last month. (Nebojša Težić/Republic of Vlada, Slovenia/Wikimedia Commons)

ROME – Italy’s Senate on Thursday gave final approval to a controversial deal with Albania to hold migrants while their asylum applications are processed, as part of the government’s efforts to share the burden of migration with other European countries.

The bill was previously approved by the House of Representatives and passed 93-61. The proposal is currently awaiting consideration by the Albanian parliament after being granted permission by the Albanian Constitutional Court last month.

Under the five-year agreement, Albania will shelter up to 3,000 migrants at a time in two centers, while Italy will fast-track asylum applications.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government has welcomed the deal as a sign of European solidarity, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also supports it. But human rights groups have raised concerns about Italy’s outsourcing of international obligations, which the country’s centre-left opposition brand has branded as a costly propaganda move ahead of June’s European elections. .

According to the agreement document, the deal will cost Italy more than 600 million euros over five years to build and staff the center in Albania and set up a remote review process, which will be financed by Italy. Opponents argue that existing immigration processing centers could be put to better use.

On Thursday, the Italian Bishops’ Conference doubled down on its opposition, condemning the Albania agreement as a waste of public spending, “an act that does not control migration and disregards the basic needs of the planet.”

In a statement, Archbishop Gian Carlo Perego, head of the council’s immigration office, said the 673 million euros in the budget was literally “thrown at sea” and could have been used to create jobs and save lives. said.