Italy ready to activate migrant centres in Albania, Meloni says

Italy plans to move forward with a controversial scheme to detain asylum seekers in Albania, despite legal challenges and EU court scrutiny set to begin in February.

Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, announced on Thursday that the government intends to proceed with a plan to hold asylum seekers in detention centers located in Albania.

The arrangement, established with Tirana last year, involves redirecting some migrants rescued at sea by Italy to Albania. Meloni argued that the initiative would discourage departures from Africa.

Despite its intent, the plan has faced legal challenges in recent months. Courts have questioned its alignment with EU laws and mandated the transfer of the first two groups of detained migrants back to Italy, leaving the Albanian facilities unoccupied.

During her annual news conference with parliamentary journalists, Meloni stated that the EU Court of Justice would begin reviewing the case in February. She also noted that a majority of EU member states supported Rome's approach regarding the Albanian detention centers.

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