In Rome on Friday, a court ordered the transfer of a group of migrants detained in Albanian camps to Italy, as part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's efforts to reduce irregular sea arrivals. The group included 43 migrants from Egypt and Bangladesh who were intercepted in the Mediterranean and taken to Albania. This move is the latest attempt to implement a policy that has faced judicial scrutiny.
The camps in Albania were established by Italy's right-wing government to temporarily house migrants while their asylum claims are processed. This recent court ruling is the third time judges have instructed the transfer of migrants to Italy since a similar decision in October.
Opposition parties in Italy hailed the court's decision as a blow to Meloni's administration. In response, lawmaker Nicola Fratoianni commented, "Yet another attempt to deport migrants to Albania has failed, as expected from anyone using common sense."
The Italian interior ministry declined to provide a statement on the matter. Sources indicated that the judges had opted to refer the case to the European Court of Justice and that the migrants would likely be relocated to Italy soon, potentially by Saturday.
The transfer follows a previous ruling questioning the legality of the scheme, based on an ECJ decision stating that no territory of origin can be classified as safe if any part of it is deemed perilous. This has raised doubts about Italy's plan to send migrants from designated "safe" countries to Albania for quicker deportation if their asylum requests are anticipated to be denied.
The disagreement over the policy has resulted in tensions between Meloni's government and the judiciary, with accusations that the courts are interfering for political motives. The ECJ will assess the scheme in the coming weeks to determine its compliance with EU regulations.