Italy’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that an Italian plan to build migrant camps in Albania could not be compared to a British proposal to send illegal asylum seekers to Rwanda, Reuters reports.
Italy’s foreign minister added that the way the requests were handled would fully protect the rights of refugees.
Earlier this month, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni-led government announced the plan as its latest attempt to reduce pressure on centres across the country and curb the rapid outflow of migrants from Africa.
Italy will build two migrant reception and detention camps in Albania, where no more than 3,000 people can stay at a time. This is the first deal in which a non-EU country accepts migrants on behalf of a member state. In 2016. The EU concluded an agreement with Turkey to prevent illegal entry into the country.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani addressed a session of the lower house of parliament on the deal, which has drawn criticism from the left-wing opposition and human rights groups. He stated:
Migrants will be treated according to Italian and European standards. This Protocol is not comparable to the agreement between the United Kingdom and Rwanda.
Tajani told lawmakers that only those migrants who are not authorised to stay in Italy would be sent to Albania after being picked up in international waters by the coast guard or navy. He confirmed that children and pregnant women would not be held there. Those awaiting repatriation could be detained for up to 18 months, he said.
The protocol, seen by Reuters, says the camps will operate under Italian jurisdiction and are due to open in the spring of 2024.
Tajani told lawmakers that Italy would cover all costs, including building and guarding the centres, and would pay 16.5 million euros ($18.00 million) for initial expenses.
Opposition lawmakers had urged Meloni to get parliamentary approval for the deal struck with her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama after the government said it was not necessary under Italian law.
However, Tajani – who succeeded former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the head of the Forza Italia coalition party – said the administration would submit a bill to ratify formally the pact with Albania. He said:
We hope it can be approved in a time frame that is consistent with the urgency of tackling the management of growing migration flows.
Around 150,000 sea migrants have already arrived in Italy this year, compared to around 94,000 in the same period in 2022.
