Migrants Transferred to Bari After Italian Court Blocks Albania Detention

Bari: In a recent development, 43 migrants have arrived in the southern port city of Bari, Italy, after their detention at a newly established Italian-run center in Albania was blocked by Rome’s appeals court. The migrants, consisting solely of adult men from Bangladesh and Egypt, were subsequently transferred to the local Palese CARA hosting center.

According to Ansa News Agency, these individuals were part of the third contingent relocated to Albania under a bilateral agreement between Rome and Tirana. Initially, the group comprised 49 migrants who were intercepted south of Lampedusa and transported to Albania aboard the Cassiopea Navy vessel. However, six individuals, identified as minors or vulnerable persons, were returned to Italy earlier this week.

The Rome appeals court, on Friday night, escalated the matter to the European Court of Justice. The court seeks to determine the safety of the migrants’ countries of origin, a decision crucial for validating the fast-track processing scheme for asylum seek
ers. The scheme, aimed at expediting asylum applications, has faced legal challenges, with the Italian judiciary previously refusing to validate the detention of earlier groups under the same agreement.

The legal contention stems from the European Court of Justice’s ruling on October 4, which stated that a fast-track procedure leading to repatriation could not proceed if the applicant’s country of origin was not considered entirely safe. Despite this, the Italian government included Bangladesh and Egypt in a list of 19 safe countries for repatriation, a measure intended to circumvent these legal obstacles.

In response to the ongoing legal challenges, the Italian government has redirected immigration section decisions from ordinary courts to appeals courts, which recently invalidated the detention of the third group of migrants. The European Court of Justice is expected to deliver its verdict on these referrals by February 25.

Interior ministry sources affirm the government’s commitment to curbing irregular
immigration by continuing its plan to process asylum applications in Albania. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to establish regional hubs, which has garnered support from European partners. The protocol between Rome and Tirana is perceived as a foundational step towards these hubs, with the potential to process approximately 3,000 migrants monthly once fully operational.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has praised the agreement as a potential model for other nations, indicating a wider interest in adopting similar frameworks.