FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
In the 2026 budget, currently under review by the Senate, approximately 70 million euros have been allocated for the centers. The resources are "hidden" in the budget law...
The government had high hopes for it, but “Operation Albania” never really achieved success. More than two years have passed since the signing of the protocol between Rome and Tirana, which allowed the creation of the Shëngjin hotspot and the center in Gjadra, which is now functional as a detention center for repatriation (CPR). But various court decisions and the low number of migrants transferred to Albania have undermined the efforts of the government, which is now trying to relaunch what is considered a “winning model” for immigration management.
– Rome Summit
On Thursday, November 13, Giorgia Meloni hosted Edi Rama in Rome for the first Italy-Albania intergovernmental summit. In 2010, the two countries signed a declaration of strategic partnership. More than two years ago, on November 6, 2023, Meloni and the Prime Minister of Albania signed the protocol on migrants at Palazzo Chigi.
“The centers in Albania will function, even if I have to spend every night there from now until the end of the government,” Meloni declared a few months ago, reiterating the importance of the project in the government’s actions. The meeting between the two served mainly to restart the project, which has been damaged by several court decisions.
– “Out of control” costs and resources
Expectations for the centers were high and, for the most part, have not been met in recent years. In fact, there has been a disproportion between the declared objectives, the resources allocated and the real functioning of the two facilities in Albania. And precisely the issue of financial coverage remains a difficult point for the Meloni government. The law ratifying the protocol, approved by Parliament in 2024, provided approximately 650 million euros for the five-year term of the agreement. These considerable resources include a wide list of items, from maintenance to employment, including insurance and staff transfers from Italy.
In the 2026 budget, currently under consideration by the Senate, approximately 70 million euros have been allocated for the centers. The resources are “hidden” in the budget law, included in tables detailing the funds available to the Ministries of Interior and Justice. The bulk of the refinancing comes from the budget of the Ministry of Interior: 14.7 million euros are allocated each year, between 2026 and 2028, to “strengthen cooperation on migration issues.”
However, the government has not yet provided data on the actual costs of the two centers. ActionAid has filed a complaint with the Court of Auditors and, together with the University of Bari, has calculated that the center in Gjadra cost 570,400 euros for a few days of operation in 2024 for twenty people. It is not excluded that the Court of Auditors will consider further action in this matter.
– (Few) migrants sheltered in centers
In recent months, the Gjader facility has only received a few people. According to a monitoring mission carried out by the Asylum and Immigration Committee, approximately 219 migrants passed through the CPR between April and October 28. In 70 percent of these cases, the competent judges did not consider the detention lawful and the migrants were returned to Italy.
The government's initial aim was for the two centres to accommodate at least 36,000 people a year, or 3,000 a month. The operation of these centres has been severely challenged by several rulings. On 1 August, the European Court of Justice rejected the operation in Albania. Luxembourg judges sided with the Italian magistrates, stating that, while it is up to a state to designate a country of origin as safe, this designation must be subject to effective judicial review.
On September 4, a ruling by the Court of Cassation questioned the decree that allowed the reopening of the Gjader facility. According to the judges, if the detention in a CPR is not proven, the asylum seeker must be released immediately./ Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "Today.it"
Po varja Gjadrit, sikur i hodhem ne leket. Deshen kamp e bene, s‘ka emigrante do i vijne. Ne cfare stresi kemi apo qe hajne e pijne neper Lezhe policet Italian. Keta i qajne hallin kalorresit se i varen kembet.