The Albanian Parliament gave the final green light to the migration agreement with Italy on Thursday, adopting at final reading the text paving the way for the construction of two reception centers for migrants rescued in Italian waters.
Under this agreement, Albania will be able to accommodate around 3,000 people at a time in these centers, financed by Italy.
One will be used to register asylum seekers, and in the other migrants will be housed while awaiting a response to their request.
The text was voted on by 77 deputies out of the 140 in the parliament.
Both centers will be managed by Rome on the territory of a country that is not part of the European Union (EU) but aspires to do so.
Discussing this agreement on Monday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni indicated that 36,000 migrants per year could pass through Albanian camps, but that achieving this objective depended on the speed with which Italy could process asylum requests. .
Italian jurisdiction and financing
For the Albanian opposition, the agreement constitutes a renunciation of territorial sovereignty.
The right also accuses the government of socialist Edi Rama of endangering
“national security”
.
The expenses for the construction of the two centers and the infrastructures necessary for their operation, security as well as medical care for asylum seekers, will be covered 100% by the Italian side, according to the Albanian authorities.
The Italian authorities will also be responsible for maintaining order in the centers, with the Albanian police being responsible outside and during the
“transport of migrants from one area to another”
.
The camps will operate under Italian jurisdiction and are expected to open in spring 2024. Their cost is estimated between 650 and 750 million euros over five years.
Nearly 158,000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2023 compared to around 105,000 in 2022, according to the Interior Ministry.