EUROPE
Meloni’s migration deal with Albania fails once again

The Italy-Albania migration deal has hit yet another wall after a Rome court ordered that migrants be sent back – again.

On Monday, the Italian Navy rescued 49 migrants at sea and transferred them to the Albanian port of Shengjin under the Italy-Albania migrant protocol.

On Friday evening, the Rome Court of Appeal refused to validate their detention, meaning that all 46 remaining migrants were sent back to Italy on Saturday. Six had already been sent back to Italy after arriving in Albania because they were minors or in poor health.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the UN-affiliated agency responsible for pre-screening migrants based on medical assessments, was conspicuously absent this time, according to Democratic Party lawmakers who travelled to Albania for the arrival.

The court followed a lower court ruling in October, which referred the case to the EU Court of Justice for a final decision, expected on 25 February.

Expected blow at EU level

Italian judges have ruled that sending migrants to Albania contravenes an EU court ruling that member states must assess the safety of a country as a whole.

Friday’s ruling comes amid a series of blows to the Italy-Albania deal, which has faced repeated roadblocks since day one – just as it did in October and November when two other groups of asylum seekers were sent back to Italy.

After the judicial setbacks, the government pushed for another reversal on 11 January.

Not a single migrant transferred to Albania since the deal was implemented has had their detention confirmed – they have all been sent back to Italy.

The estimated five-year cost of construction, staff management, travel, allowances, police accommodation and recruitment of new judges is €653.5 million.

Meloni’s judicial flare-up

The judges’ decisions are fuelling discontent within the government, which now faces an investigation into its repatriation last week of ICC-indicted Libyan warlord Almasri.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, are currently under investigation.

“If some judges want to govern, they should run for elections and govern,” Meloni said, describing the decision as a “harm to the nation”.

Meloni has repeatedly defended the Albania Protocol, insisting that she will continue to push for it until it is operational.

According to Italian media, government sources said they were “surprised” by the latest developments, arguing that “there is no need to wait for the European Court of Justice ruling.”

While members of the ruling majority continue to accuse the judiciary of political bias, the opposition has denounced the initiative as a waste of public money and a political failure.

“The government’s refusal to comply with European laws and court rulings is leading to an extraordinary waste of taxpayer money,” said Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein.

Schlein demanded a full accounting of the state’s expenditure on the operation, which her party estimates “has already exceeded one billion euros,” she said.

Green and Left Alliance leader Nicola Fratoianni said the outcome had been “inevitable” and warned that “Meloni must not use this episode to portray herself as a victim or to deflect blame onto the judiciary.”

[DE]

Source: Euractiv.com

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