Albania-Italy migrant deal moves ahead as Rome publishes tender for processing centre

As of 20 May 2024, camps in Albania that will process the asylum applications of individuals rescued by the Italian authorities will be up and running, as a recently published tender document reveals more details about the deal and how the site will function.

In November 2023, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed a deal that would see migrants rescued in Italian territorial waters or by Italian authorities sent to Albania for their asylum applications to be processed. The deal has divided opinion on both sides of the Adriatic from the outset, but both governments remain adamant about it going ahead.

The tender notifications, published by the Rome prefect’s department, invite bidders to submit their offers before 28 March with the deadline of 20 May as the start of operations.

According to the tender details, worth €34 million, the site will consist of three structures able to accommodate a total of around 3000 people.

One structure will be built at the port of Shengjin, where landing and identification procedures will be carried out.

The other two sites will be located in Gjader. One will be dedicated to ascertaining the prerequisites for the recognition of international protection, while the other will serve as a repatriation detention centre.

Albania publishes details of Italy migrant deal as citizens remain divided

SHENGJIN, ALBANIA: The Albanian Media and Information Agency has published more details of the agreement between Albania and Italy that would see the creation of asylum seeker processing centres in the country, facilitating the applications of up to 36,000 individuals …

According to the Italian government, the site will process individuals rescued by the Italian authorities involved in maritime rescue, such as the coast guard, financial police, or navy, and explicitly exclude those rescued by NGOs. It will also not include disabled people, women, children, or other vulnerable individuals.

The tender states that the facility in Shengjin will have a medical clinic, including a room for outpatient visits, an isolation room, and a three-bed ward. In Gjader, there will be three outpatient rooms, two wards, an operating theatre, a laboratory, an x-ray and ultrasound room, and a space for psychological and psychiatric visits.

Medical specialists on site will include a doctor specialising in anaesthesia and resuscitation, a doctor specialising in general surgery, a doctor specialising in orthopaedics with surgical skills, medical staff specialising in psychiatry, an instrumental nurse, a social doctor, a health worker, a laboratory technician, a radiology technician, and a health worker specialising in radiology.

Upon arrival, welcome kits will also be presented to each individual, including an undershirt, T-shirt, pair of pyjamas, three pairs of shorts, and three pairs of socks. They will also be given one roll of toilet paper a week, one toothbrush and 100ml tube of toothpaste per week, and one bottle of shampoo and liquid soap per week.

The Italian Interior Ministry will conduct spot checks on the site to ensure compliance with the tender.

During their stay in Albania, estimated at around three months for each person, individuals will not be able to leave the centre, which is to be guarded by Italian and Albaian authorities. If they do, the Albanian police will return them. Once their application has been processed, whatever the outcome, they will be removed from Albania’s territory.

While on-site, individuals can access legal assistance from representatives of international organisations, including the EU, which aims to provide legal aid to all asylum seekers as required by Italian, Albanian and EU law.

Albania's highest court narrowly rules Italy migrant deal constitutional

Albania’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the deal signed with Italy to allow the processing of migrants picked up in the Mediterranean by Italy in the northern coastal town of Shëngjin is in line with the constitution.

The agreement caused controversy in Italy and Albania, with the Constitutional Court in Tirana narrowly ruling that it did not violate the laws of the land earlier this year. Meanwhile, despite claims from international law experts that it is not compliant with EU law, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said it did not break the law as it is “outside of it”.

Work has not yet begun at the sites in Shengjin and Gjader, leading to questions about whether they can be operational by spring.

Shengjin was also home to hundreds of Afghan refugees that Albania took in after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the takeover of the Taliban. While the US promised to take responsibility for them, asking Albania to keep them while it processed their visas, a number still remain with no news or idea if they will ever leave.

As for the migrant deal, several other EU countries have hinted they may look at similar deals to deal with their immigration issues, a move likely to score votes from the conservative parts of society, ahead of EU elections.

(Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com)