Shëngjin, Albania:
Dozens of migrants left Italian facilities in Albania on Saturday after the judges of Rome refused to approve their detention, in another setback for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
An Italian boat carrying 43 migrants left the Albanian port of Shengjin for the Italian port of Bari, according to an AFP journalist.
The migrants arrived in Albania on Tuesday, the third group was transferred under the efforts of Italy to outsource the treatment of migrants in a country not of the EU and accelerate the repatriations of failing asylum seekers.
Other European nations are looking closely at the program, but it has been strongly criticized by rights defense groups and has faced repeated heist. No migrants spent more than a few days in the center of Albania.
On Friday, the Rome Court of Appeal returned the case of the last group of 43 migrants to the European Court of Justice (CJCE), a source from the Italian government told AFP.
The CJCE already examines the legal issues raised by several Italian courts on the regime.
A source from the Italian Interior Ministry said on Saturday that the government would not abandon the program which, according to him, had been discussed by EU ministers this week.
The EU plans controversial plans to create dedicated return centers outside the block of 27 countries. “The government will therefore move forward,” said the source.
The 43 were part of 49 people intercepted by the Italian authorities while they were trying to cross the Mediterranean.
Most were from Bangladesh, when there were also six Egyptians, a man from Côte d’Ivoire and one of the Gambia, said rights associations.
Far -right chief Meloni signed an agreement with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in November 2023 to open two Italian centers in Albania, which became operational in October 2024.
They are only open to adult men who are eligible for accelerated treatment.
