Despite a serious defeat in court, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is sticking to her plans to receive refugees from the Mediterranean outside the EU. The right-wing politician is convinced that the agreement between Italy and Albania is part of a lasting solution – and she should not be alone in this.
“I anticipated that there would be obstacles, but I will overcome them: the Italy-Albania protocol will work,” Meloni said on Wednesday evening, according to media sources.
“I will not allow a solution that we have found in full compliance with Italian and European law to be dismantled just because some of the politicians do not agree with it. “I am determined to continue because I made a promise to the Italians to solve the migration problem,” said the right-wing populist who has now been in power for two years.
A year ago, Italy and Albania agreed to set up reception centers for asylum seekers in Albania. The asylum centers are managed according to Italian law and with Italian staff.
A court in Rome declared on Friday that housing the first migrants in Albania under the agreement was unlawful. Meloni’s government appealed this ruling to the Supreme Court. The first twelve refugees interned in Albania arrived in Italy on Saturday.
The EU asylum agency wants to discuss the Meloni path
Meloni receives support, mainly from the EU. The head of the EU asylum agency EUAA, Nina Gregori, has expressed openness to asylum centers in third countries. “We are not the decision makers, politics is made in Brussels. But I am really in favor of this discussion happening,” Gregori said in the APA interview. “It must be well prepared and take into account our international obligations.” At the same time, she emphasized that only a third of asylum applications in the EU come from illegal migrants.
Regarding the Italian asylum center in Albania, Gregori said that international observers were also present there. “I think this is all positive. We need to discuss different solutions together with our partner countries,” stressed the executive director of the EU agency based in the Maltese capital Valletta.
In this context, she pointed out that resettlement systems already exist to take asylum seekers without prospects of integration to another country – for example to Canada or to European countries.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
