Opinion Piece Criticizing Italy’s Immigration Arrangement with Albania

Ghazi Ben Ahmed and Laila Sahnoune have an interesting opinion piece out in the EU Observer, “The legal and moral failings of Meloni’s Albania deportation deal.” In it, they criticize the Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s agreement signed in 2023 with Albania to externalize deportations to fast tracked centers located in Albania.

They explain: 

The absence of clear provisions for transportation and compliance with European legal procedures conflicts with standards established by the European Court of Human Rights, as in the Hirsi Jamaa and Others v. Italy case, which prohibits migration procedures without proper legal safeguards.

Furthermore, independent reports have documented discriminatory treatment of asylum seekers in Albania, compounded by often inhumane conditions in detention centres.

This approach, beyond violating fundamental rights, subjects individuals to the trauma of detention, even if they ultimately end up being admitted to Italy.

IE