An Italian navy ship carrying migrants arrives in Albania amid relocation plan controversy

An Italian navy ship carrying 49 migrants picked up in international waters arrived in Albania on Tuesday, as Italy pushes ahead with a controversial plan to relocate migrants to the neighbouring country. The navy ship Cassiopea reached the Albanian port of Shengjin early on Tuesday, where the migrants will be identified and then transferred to a detention center approximately 20 km away.

The Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni, has established two reception centers in Albania as part of a deal to divert migrants to a non-EU country in an effort to reduce sea arrivals to Italy. However, the facilities have been empty since November following legal challenges that questioned the validity of the relocation plan. Italian judges ordered the first two batches of migrants who had been detained in Albania to be returned to Italy.

The controversy surrounding the relocation plan stems from a ruling by the European Court of Justice, which stated that no nation of origin could be considered safe if even a part of it was deemed dangerous. This ruling undermines Italy’s approach of deporting migrants to Albania from a selected list of “safe” countries for expedited repatriation.

Ilaria Salis, a European Parliament deputy from a left-wing Italian party, criticized the Italian government for forcibly transferring migrants despite concerns about violations of international law and human rights. The European court is expected to review Italy’s plan in the coming weeks to determine its compliance with EU laws.

This development comes amidst ongoing debates and legal challenges surrounding Italy’s immigration policies and its efforts to manage migrant arrivals. The outcome of the court’s review will likely have significant implications for the future of Italy’s approach to migration and asylum seekers.

(Source: Reuters – Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Bernadette Baum)