Italy has started transferring the first group of migrants to Albania, the Interior Ministry said last 14 October, as part of a contentious plan to process thousands of asylum-seekers outside its borders.
A naval ship departed from the island of Lampedusa with 16 men — 10 from Bangladesh and six from Egypt — who were rescued at sea after departing from Libya. The ship is expected to arrive on 16 October, a ministry spokesman said.
Premier Giorgia Meloni's far-right government formally opened the two centers in Albania where Italy plans to process thousands of male migrants requesting asylum after being intercepted in international waters while trying to cross to Europe.
The centers can accommodate up to 400 migrants at first, with that expected to increase to 880 in a few weeks, according to Italian officials.
Women, children, older people and those who are ill or victims of torture will be accommodated in Italy. Families will not be separated.
The five-year deal was endorsed last year by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as an example of "out-of-box thinking" in tackling the migration issue, but human rights groups say it sets a dangerous precedent.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, speaking in Luxembourg at an EU conference, repeated that no other country will be able to operate asylum centers in Albania.
He said Albania felt an expression of gratitude for the tens of thousands of Albanians who were welcomed by Italy when communism fell in 1991, or support extended by Rome during the economic turmoil in 1997 and in the aftermath of the 2019 earthquake.
Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. According to the World Bank's November 2003 Poverty Assessment, average per capita income was US$ 1,230 in 2002. The official unemployment rate is 16 percent, and 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Under a five-year deal signed last November by Meloni and Rama, up to 3,000 migrants picked up by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month will be sheltered in Albania. They will be screened thoroughly on board the ships that rescue them before being sent to Albania for further scrutiny.
The first center in Shengjin, 66 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the capital, Tirana, will be used for screening newcomers and the other facility, about 22 kilometers (14 miles) to the east near the former military airport in Gjader, will accommodate migrants during the processing of their asylum requests.
Italy has agreed to welcome those who are granted asylum. Those whose applications are rejected face deportation directly from Albania.