Premier Giorgia Meloni lamented the
wasting of two years after the Advocate General of the EU Court
of Justice said in an opinion on Thursday that the Italy-Albania
protocol that enables Rome to set up and operate migrant
repatriation and detention centres on Albanian territory under
Italian jurisdiction was compatible with European law.
“This is important news, confirming the validity of the path we
have laid out and just how much Italy has lost in two wasted
years due to forced and unfounded judicial interpretations,”
Meloni said on social media.
“In the mean time, we are moving forward because combating
illegal immigration requires seriousness, courage, and concrete
solutions”.
While the opinions of Advocate General Nicholas Emiliou are not
binding, the Court of Justice usually follows them.
The opinion regarded the appeals of two migrants who had
previously been detained in Italy under expulsion orders and
were subsequently transferred to a centre in Albania.
Italy has two migrant centres in Albania, but government’s
ability to use them was hampered by a series of judicial
disputes.
But an overhaul of the EU’s migration system agreed by Member
States last year made it possible for Italy’s controversial plan
to overcome some of the legal hurdles that have prevented it
from taking off in earnest.
The changes, which complement the Pact on Migration and Asylum
approved in 2024, include expanded deportation measures and
juridically allow the creation of ‘return hubs’ for rejected
asylum seekers abroad, provided they abide by specific security
criteria for migrants.
The Albania scheme has spurred interest from other EU countries
and also the UK, after the Labour government killed the former
Conservative administration’s Rwanda policy.
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