The Italian government has overhauled its stalled migration agreement with Albania, repurposing one facility as a detention centre for repatriations in a last-ditch effort to implement its controversial offshore processing scheme before a crucial EU court ruling, according to Euractiv.
The Italian Council of Ministers amended the Italy-Albania Protocol on 28 March. The Gjader facility will now operate as a full “repatriation detention centre” (CPR) for migrants already in Italy with validated or extended deportation orders.
Meanwhile, legal workaround aims to bypass previous court rejections by processing detainees rather than new sea rescues. The centre’s existing 144-bed detention unit will also be expanded, alongside its 880-bed reception area.
The original November 2023 deal – which would have seen Italy process up to 3,000 asylum seekers annually in Albania – has been paralysed by: Italian courts rejecting “safe country” designations, legal challenges over sovereignty transfers, and the European Court of Justice’s pending May ruling.
However, legal experts warn detaining migrants in a non-EU country violates international norms.
The revised plan faces fresh legal challenges even as Italy’s interior minister insists the EU Commission has given tacit approval. With European elections approaching, the Meloni government appears determined to showcase tough migration policies – regardless of the legal turbulence.
A non-binding opinion from the European Court of Justice’s Advocate General, setting out the proposed decision and reasoning, is expected on 9 April, according to a spokesman for the EU’s top court.
