Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has faced significant criticism from political opponents following the rejection of her proposal to process up to 3,000 asylum-seekers each month in Albania. This marks the third time that Italian judges have dismissed the plan, raising questions about the government’s immigration policies.
The most recent setback occurred when a coast guard ship was ordered to return 43 migrants from a detention center located in the Albanian town of Gjadër back to the Italian port of Bari. This decision came from the Rome Court of Appeals, which ruled on Friday that the migrants, whose asylum requests had been denied, could not be held outside of Italy.
Political opposition and financial concerns
Elly Schlein, the leader of the left-wing Democratic Party, publicly called for Meloni’s resignation, criticizing the project’s financial burden, which has reached approximately €1 billion thus far. “The centers in Albania do not and will not work. They are a clamorous failure,” Schlein stated.
Riccardo Magi of the liberal More Europe party echoed these sentiments, declaring the ruling to be a clear indication that the detention centers in Albania operate in “total illegality” and condemning the Meloni government’s migration policies. The court’s findings suggest that the origins of the migrants, deemed potentially unsafe, disqualify them from participating in the expedited processing program aimed at swiftly deporting those whose asylum applications have been rejected.
Legal challenges and future implications
This latest ruling is the third of its kind within a year. Previous decisions in October and November saw the immigration unit of the Rome Court reject the detention of groups of migrants in Albanian facilities. Each ruling has led judges to refer the ultimate decision to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which is set to hold a hearing on February 25.
In reaction to these judicial setbacks, Meloni’s administration reassigned jurisdiction from the immigration judges in Rome, who had shown resistance to the initial transfers, to the Rome appeals court. In an effort to bypass the rulings, the government also introduced a new list of 19 countries classified as safe for repatriation, which includes nations such as Bangladesh and Egypt.
Despite receiving praise from European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who referred to the initiative as “an innovative solution,” the plan has faced backlash from opposition figures, human rights organizations, and legal experts.
“The feeling is that the Italian government considers itself above the law,” argued Francesca D’Antuono of Volt Europe, who visited the Gjadër center late last year.
D’Antuono highlighted the concerning trend where the government appears to conflate its political mandate, obtained through elections, with the necessity to uphold the democratic institutions and the principle of separation of powers. She expressed hope that the European court’s ruling on February 25 would help prevent what she termed an “authoritarian turn” being implemented by far-right governments across Europe.