The Albanian Constitutional Court approved on Monday January 29 the draft agreement with Italy providing for the opening on Albanian territory of two large reception centers for migrants rescued in Italian waters.
The agreement between Tirana and Rome
"does not harm the territorial integrity of Albania"
, according to the Court's press release, which ignored the numerous criticisms of NGOs and the Albanian opposition which considered that the agreement
“violated the Albanian Constitution”
.
According to the draft agreement, signed in November between the two countries, two reception centers should open, one in the port of Shëngjin (north), used for the registration of asylum seekers and the other, in the same region, where migrants will be housed while awaiting a response to their asylum request.
“Dehumanizing” agreement
Expenses for the construction of these two centers and the necessary infrastructure, for their operation, for security as well as for the medical care of asylum seekers will be covered
“100% by the Italian side”
, according to the Albanian authorities.
Italian MPs adopted the project on January 24, by 155 votes for and 115 against, with two abstentions.
The Senate, where Giorgia Meloni's ultraconservative ruling coalition has a large parliamentary majority, should approve it without difficulty.
Several NGOs were scandalized by this agreement, such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC) which denounced a
“dehumanizing”
agreement .
Amnesty International deplored an
“unworkable, harmful and illegal proposal”
.