The Italian government – which has made immigration a key campaign issue and has criticised previous governments for spending money on managing the refugee crisis – is now facing public trust
By The Guardian
A multi-million dollar deal between Italy and Albania aimed at reducing the number of migrants has been presented to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a new model for setting up asylum-seeking detention centres outside the EU. The deal would see up to 3,000 migrants – caught by the Italian coastguard in international waters – sent to Albania, where they would be assessed for asylum in Italy or repatriation. But neither Von der Leyen nor Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, appear to have taken into account existing laws. Just a month after the much-discussed process began, only 24 asylum seekers have been sent to Albania, and none have remained there. Five spent less than 12 hours in the detention center, while most stayed for just over 48 hours.
All were transferred to Italy, after an Italian court ruled that it was illegal to detain them in Albania before repatriating them to countries, such as Bangladesh and Egypt, that Rome considers “safe.” In doing so, the courts are referring to an October 4 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union that a country outside the bloc cannot be considered safe unless its entire territory is considered safe.
Italy’s embarrassment over the scheme, which has drawn fierce opposition criticism for calling it a “total failure” – and which will cost the state around $1 billion over five years – has sparked a clash between authorities and the courts, which have been accused by far-right parties of obstructing the project. Insiders say Meloni and her allies knew from the start that there was a risk the deal would not work, and that the European court’s ruling was just one of the issues holding it back. Chiara Favilli, a professor at the University of Florence, said that since 1993, several European Union countries have proposed solutions like Italy’s deal with Albania. “However, they have all been rejected. Agreements like the one between Albania and Italy are unacceptable by some fundamental norms,” she said.
Months before the Albania-Italy deal was signed, some NGOs, academics and experts have cast doubt on whether it would be humane or even legal under international law.
The calls were ignored. Supporters insisted the scheme was more humane than sending people to developing countries, as the previous UK government’s main deportation scheme would do. They said the scheme was less problematic than the EU’s practice of giving money to North African countries to tighten border controls.
While it looks set to face new challenges, the deal is proving to be a fiasco. According to a recent poll, 55 percent of Italians disapprove of it. Now, for a government that has made immigration a key campaign issue and has criticised previous governments for spending money on managing the refugee crisis, trust is at stake. (The sea transport by Italian military ships of the eight men who were sent to Albania last weekend cost 250,000 euros, or about 31,000 per person.) Faced with the gradual failure of the agreement, the Italian government has attacked the judges, calling them politicized and wanting to abolish Italy’s borders.
Even Elon Musk has come to the defense of his friend Meloni against the judges, saying that “they should walk.” In an unusual response, the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, told Musk that “Italy knows how to take care of itself.”
Last week, police increased protective measures against Silvia Albano, one of six judges in the immigration section of the Rome court, who on October 18 refused to authorize the detention of asylum seekers in Albania. She has received death threats. Stefano Musolino, deputy prosecutor in Calabria, said that anyone authorizing the repatriation or detention of migrants in Albania is violating international law that is binding on Italy and the decision is illegal. At a time when the Italian government is facing internal budget challenges in education, health and social security, opposition parties have called the agreement with Albania a “financial catastrophe”. Elly Schlein, leader of the Democratic Party of Italy, said that Meloni has increased taxes and has “squandered a billion euros of taxpayers’ money on migrant centers in Albania”.
“We could have used them to reinforce the national health service, where more than 4.5 million people are unable to receive treatment. Now is the time for Meloni to dismantle these centers. Then it is time for her to apologize to all Italians,” she said.
