An Italian navy ship transporting 49 migrants in international waters arrived in Albania on Tuesday as part of Italy's contested plan to relocate migrants to the neighboring country. The navy ship Cassiopea, with the migrants on board, docked at the Albanian port of Shengjin early Tuesday, as confirmed by a Reuters witness. The migrants will be processed at a facility there before being transferred to a detention center approximately 20 km (12 miles) away.
The Italian government, under Giorgia Meloni, has established two reception centers in Albania, making it the first EU nation to redirect migrants to a non-EU country with the aim of reducing sea arrivals on its own shores. However, these facilities have remained empty since November after legal challenges in Rome cast doubt on the relocation plan, resulting in the return of the first two groups of migrants previously held in Albania back to Italy.
The heart of the disagreement lies in a ruling from the European Court of Justice last year, which was unrelated to Italy. The Court's decision stipulated that no country could be considered safe for deportation if any part of it was deemed dangerous. This directly challenged Italy's strategy of repatriating migrants to Albania from a predefined list of "safe" countries for expedited deportation.
Ilaria Salis, a European Parliament deputy from a left-wing Italian party, criticized the Italian government for forcibly relocating "innocent people fleeing war and misery," citing breaches of international law and human rights.
The European court is slated to examine Italy's plan in the near future to determine its compliance with EU regulations.