The camps in Albania, which will process asylum claims of people rescued by Italian authorities, will reportedly be ready for operation by 20 May, 2024, with a recently published tender document revealing more details on the deal, Euractiv informs.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni signed the agreement in November 2023. According to the document, migrants rescued in Italian territorial waters would be sent by the Italian authorities to Albania to process their asylum applications.
The tender notices, published by the Rome Prefectural Department, invite tenderers to submit their bids by 28 March, with the deadline for the start of operations set for 20 May. Under the terms of the 34 million euro tender, the site will consist of three facilities capable of accommodating a total of around 3,000 people.
One facility will be built at Shengjin Port, where landing and identification procedures will be carried out. The other two facilities will be located in Gjader. One will be dedicated to identifying prerequisites for recognition of international protection and the other will serve as a detention centre for returnees.
Shengjin will also have a medical clinic, including a ward for outpatient visits, an isolation ward and a three-bed ward. Gjader will have three outpatient rooms, two wards, an operating theatre, a laboratory, X-ray and ultrasound rooms, as well as a room for psychological and psychiatric visits.
On arrival, each person will also be given a welcome kit including an undershirt, a T-shirt, a pair of pyjamas, three pairs of shorts and three pairs of socks. They will also be given one roll of toilet paper per week, one toothbrush and 100ml tube of toothpaste per week, as well as one bottle of shampoo and liquid soap per week.
During their stay in Albania, estimated at about three months per person, people will not be able to leave the centre being guarded by Italian and Albanian authorities. If they do, the Albanian police will return them. Once their application has been processed, they will be removed from Albanian territory, regardless of the outcome.
While on site, people can receive legal assistance from representatives of international organisations, including the EU, which aims to provide legal aid to all asylum seekers in accordance with the requirements of Italian, Albanian and EU law.
Meanwhile, despite claims by international law experts that it does not comply with EU law, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, has stated that it does not break the law because it is “outside of it”.
As for the migrant agreement, several other EU countries have hinted that they may consider similar agreements to address their immigration issues. The move is likely to win votes from the conservative section of society ahead of the EU elections.
