First asylum seekers arrive at Albanian port from Italy

TIRANA — The first asylum seekers from Italy to have their applications processed in Albania arrived via ship to the Albanian port of Shengjin on Wednesday morning.

The 16 men will undergo health screening and identification procedures before being transferred, later in the day, to a reception camp in Gjader — located a few dozen kilometers from the port.

The boat carried 10 Bangladeshi and six Egyptian nationals who were rescued at sea by the navy ship Libra heading to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa on Monday.

After a five-year deal signed last November by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, Italy formally opened two centers in Albania last week after months of delays, where it plans to process thousands of asylum-seekers who seek asylum outside its borders.

The centers will only house adult men, while vulnerable people such as women, children, the elderly and those who are ill or victims of torture will be accommodated in Italy. Families will not be separated.

Italian Ambassador to Albania Fabrizio Bucci said Friday the two centers were ready to process migrants after the opening had to be pushed further down the calendar to consolidate the crumbling soil at one center in Gjader, where they will be accommodated.

Though the center in Gjader has a capacity for 3,000 migrants, it will start with 400 and increase to 880 in a few weeks.

The two centers will cost Italy €670 million over five years. The facilities are run by Italy and are under Italian jurisdiction, while Albanian guards provide external security.

In Albania, the migrants retain their right under international and European Union law to apply for asylum in Italy and have their claims processed there. This process is expected to take a maximum of 28 days, including any appeal case.

Italy has agreed to welcome those who are granted asylum. Those whose applications are rejected face deportation directly from Albania.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen endorsed the agreement as an example of “out-of-the-box thinking” in tackling the issue of migration into the EU, but it has been slammed by human rights groups as setting a dangerous precedent.

Albania aims to become a full-fledged member of the EU by the end of the decade, its Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Tuesday, following the opening of accession negotiations he called “historic”.

“It is our aim to complete that process within this decade and be ready to knock at the door of the European Council as a member state,” Rama told reporters in Luxembourg, where an intergovernmental conference (IGC) was held with the Balkan nation.

The number of people reaching Italy along the central Mediterranean migration route from North Africa has fallen by 61% in 2024 from 2023.

According to the Italian Interior Ministry, as of 15 October, 54,129 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea this year, compared to 138,947 by the same date last year. — Euronews