Speaking during a visit to Albania in June, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that the two centers designed to host the immigrants would be ready to accommodate the first 1,000 people by August 1.

But just days before the start of the process, one of them is still undergoing intensive construction work, raising doubts about whether it will be completely ready in time. Neither Italy nor Albania have said when the first immigrants are likely to arrive.

The controversial deal, under which the Western Balkan country will host thousands of asylum seekers on Italy’s behalf, is expected to last five years and provides shelter for up to 3,000 migrants picked up by the Italian coastguard in international waters each month.

The agreement was signed by Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama last November. They will initially be screened on the ships rescuing them at sea, before being sent to Albania for additional screening. The centers will host only adult men, according to Italy’s ambassador to Albania, Fabrizio Bucci. People considered vulnerable – women, children, the elderly and those who are ill or victims of torture – will be accommodated in Italy.

Families will also not be separated, the ambassador said. Those sent to Albania will retain their right under international and European Union law to apply for asylum in Italy and have their applications processed there.

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With each request taking about a month to process, the number of people sent to Albania could reach 36,000 in a year.

The deal has been denounced by human rights groups as a dangerous precedent. Earlier this year, the International Rescue Committee described the deal as “costly, harsh and counterproductive” and recently called on the EU and its member states not to use “this dangerous model as a model”.

The two centers in Albania will cost Italy 670 million euros over five years. The cost of transporting 36,000 migrants to Italy amounts to 136 million euros, almost the same amount that will be spent in Albania, according to Meloni.

The facilities will be fully managed by Italy and the two centers will be under Italian jurisdiction, while Albanian guards will provide external security.

Meloni and her right-wing allies have long demanded that European countries share more of the burden of immigration. She has touted the deal with Albania as an innovative solution to a problem that has plagued the EU for years.

Source: Euronews

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