In a Contentious Agreement, Italy Sends the First Group of Asylum Seekers to Albania

In Albania, where Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government opened two centres it intends to use to process thousands of male migrants, Italy’s interior ministry said Monday it is sending a first group of refugees. The ship departed the island of Lampedusa with ten men from Bangladesh and six from Egypt on board, and it is anticipated to reach Albania on Wednesday. After leaving Libya, the passengers were rescued at sea. Italian officials say that 880 refugees will eventually be housed at a time in the two centres in Albania.

Signed in 2023, the five-year agreement asks Albania to host up to 3,000 male refugees while Italy manages their asylum cases. Vulnerable individuals, women, and children will continue to be transported to Italy. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Commission, supported it, but human rights organisations have condemned it, claiming it creates a risky precedent. Albanian guards would provide external protection while Italy will operate the centres. Over the next five years, they will cost Rome 670 million euros.