Thewesternbalkans
In February, the Albanian parliament ratified migration agreement signed with Italy, paving the way for the construction of the reception centers on the territory of a country that is not a member of the European Union (EU), but hopes to join. The EU has expressed its interest in the agreement, stressing that the centers will be governed under Italian, not Albanian, law.
The construction of the reception centers for migrants rescued in Italian waters and subsequently transferred to Albania has begun at the former military base in Gjadër. The first phase of the construction works includes excavation and site preparation underway at the entrance to the former military base where the migrants will be housed while they await a response to their asylum application The construction project envisages also the provision of the infrastructure needed to provide access to potable water and other facilities for migrants.
The agreement envisages the construction of three centers: a reception point in Shëngjin, which will be used only for the initial health check and the collection of asylum requests, where there will be a maximum of 880 places and two other facilities in Gjadër where immigrants will have to waiting for the answer to their application for asylum or eventual repatriation
Expected to open on May 20, 2024, they will be operated by Italy and will be able to host up to 3,000 migrants at a time.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, almost 158,000 migrants arrived in Italy in 2023, compared to around 105,000 in 2022. The construction and operation of the centers, which are estimated to cost between €650 and €750 million, will be paid by Italy for five years.
Comment: The migrant agreement between Italy and Albania reflects a willingness to share responsibility and efforts to manage the refugee crisis in the region. Tirana is interested in the possibility of regional cooperation and external financing of the construction of the camps. Italy’s benefit is in reducing migrant pressure on its own capacities and resources. The agreement is controversial from the point of view of the rights and freedoms of migrants, limiting the right to choose their asylum destination and the way they are treated.
