Tajani: Italy-Albania migration deal not comparable to UK-Rwanda one

1 year ago 41

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani talked to MPs about the controversial agreement between Italy and Albania on managing irregular migrants in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, saying it’s not comparable to the one signed recently between the UK and Rwanda.

Tajani clarified that the protocol with Tirana is a “significant piece” in the overall strategy of the government led by Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia/ECR) to counter irregular migration flows and the market of traffickers that “continues to reap victims”.

“Preventing irregular departures, strengthening the external borders, fighting the smugglers, improving the repatriation system, expanding legal migration channels, welcoming those who are entitled to international protection: these are the main ingredients of the new approach we are trying to establish in Europe”, the minister said.

The Italy-Albania protocol establishes that no more than three thousand migrants can be in the two centres simultaneously and that migrants can only arrive in the Albanian port with vessels of the Italian authorities, which are involved in rescue operations.

Moreover, it will not be possible to tow the smugglers’ boats, nor will it be possible to direct boats operated by non-governmental organisations to Albania.

Migrants will be treated in “exactly the same way” as under Italian and European regulations, and the two centres will operate according to Italian, European and international regulations on the subject. The procedures will be the Italian ones and will be carried out exclusively by the Italian administrative and judicial authorities.

The left-wing opposition parties had widely criticised the agreement with Tirana, with Democratic Party (PD/S&D) secretary Elly Schlein expressing intense perplexity and the PD’s head of migration policies, Pierfrancesco Majorino, speaking of a “dangerous mess”.

“It seems to be in open violation of international law and European law”, Schlein said, adding that the agreement was invalid because the government decided it without having consulted parliament.

This is why the government announced on Tuesday that it plans to submit a ratification bill to parliament containing the necessary rules and appropriations to implement the protocol.

“Today’s debate and the vote that will conclude it shows, if there was any need, that our government has never shied away, especially on issues of such importance, from dialogue and scrutiny by Parliament”, Tajani stressed.

The PD was satisfied with the government’s choice, described as a ‘U-turn’ by MP Giuseppe Provenzano. Despite this, there remain many objections on the merits of the agreement from the left-wing oppositions, in particular, +Europa and Avs, who speak of a “total failure”.

“The government has thumbed its nose at the constitution”, Schlein added.

The agreement is not comparable to UK-Rwanda

Tajani added that the Italy-Albania agreement is not comparable to the one between the UK and Rwanda as there is no outsourcing of the management of asylum applications to a third country and no derogation from internationally guaranteed rights.

“Albania will soon join the European Union and is part of the Council of Europe. Derogations would have been impossible”, the minister said.

Finally, only migrants who can be detained in the facilities that receive them can be taken to Albania. According to current Italian and European regulations, there are two categories of migrants.

The first is that of asylum seekers subject to the accelerated border procedure, non-vulnerable persons from safe countries or migrants who have already applied for asylum and been refused.

The second category is that of persons awaiting repatriation after it has been ascertained that they do not meet the requirements for residence in Italy. Under no circumstances can vulnerable persons, such as minors and pregnant women, be received in the Albanian facility.

Albania will grant Italy two areas free of charge. An arrival point at the port of Shengjin, on the country’s northern coast, and a military base in Gjader, about 30 kilometres from the port. The port will have a facility dedicated to rescue activities, first aid and fingerprinting.

In the second facility, located inland, the examination of applications for international protection will be carried out, and for those who do not qualify, repatriation procedures will be carried out.

(Federica Pascale | Euractiv.it)