Italy is transferring a first group of migrants to the vetting centres it manages in Albania under a controversial agreement between the two countries, an Italian government source told French news agency AFP on Monday.
The migrants, whose number and origin were not specified, will be transferred to a registration centre located at the port of Shengjin and then to a centre where they are to be housed, some 20 kms away at the former Gjader military base.
Initially scheduled to be operational in August, the two centres will receive men arrested at sea while attempting to reach European shores. ‘Vulnerable persons’ such as women and children, are not included.
The men will first pass through the port - where offices have been set up in prefabricated buildings behind high railings - to be registered. They will then be sent to Gjader, where they will wait to find out whether or not their asylum applications have been accepted.
They will be held under police surveillance in 12 m2 prefabs surrounded by high walls and cameras, under an administrative detention order issued by the Prefect of Rome.
Everything that happens inside the camp is the responsibility of the Italians, while external security is provided by the Albanian security forces.
The processing of asylum applications could take up to four weeks, according to a source familiar with the procedures who asked to remain anonymous. Cells have been set up in the camp for those who are refused asylum.
More than 300 Italian soldiers, doctors and judges are involved in this operation.
This agreement between Italy and Albania, roundly criticised by human rights NGOs, was signed in November 2023 by the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, and her Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, who is keen to join the European Union.
Italy and Hungary have proposed extending the principle to the whole of Europe, with the creation of ‘return hubs’ - centres where undocumented migrants would be sent back to countries outside the EU.
This proposal could be discussed at the European summit to be held in Brussels on 17 and 18 October.
