The asylum protocol between Rome and Tirana for fast-tracking asylum seekers at Italian-run centres in Albania must not compromise the EU asylum system or breach EU law, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said on Wednesday.
The deal between Italy and Albania “must complement existing asylum access routes and cannot obstruct EU law’s aims or undermine the rights and guarantees member states must uphold,” Brunner wrote in response to a parliamentary inquiry from MEPs of the Democratic Party (PD), Green-Left Alliance (AVS), and Five-Star Movement (M5S).
“The Commission will continue monitoring the protocol’s implementation closely,” he added.
The asylum protocol has faced obstacles in Italy’s courts. Judges refused to validate the detention of three groups of asylum seekers sent to Albania in October, November, and last month. The cases were referred to the European Court of Justice, which ruled on October 4 that applicants cannot undergo a fast-track process leading to repatriation if their country of origin is not deemed entirely safe.
The asylum seekers came from Bangladesh and Egypt, which were not considered entirely safe across their territories or for all citizens.
The government attempted to bypass this issue by listing 19 countries, including Bangladesh and Egypt, as safe for repatriation. However, after the decree was approved in December, Italian judges asked the ECJ to clarify the criteria for determining safety and whether EU law should take precedence over Italian legislation.
In December, the Court of Cassation provisionally upheld ministers’ authority to designate safe countries for repatriation from Albania’s processing centres. However, it stated that a final decision depends on the ECJ ruling expected on February 25.
Half of latest batch of migrants file complaints
About half of the 43 migrants recently returned to Italy from Albania have appealed against the rejection of their international protection requests, ANSA sources said Thursday.
The migrants, from Egypt and Bangladesh, arrived in Bari last Saturday after the Court of Appeal of Rome ruled against their detention at the Gjader centre. They are the third group affected by the Meloni government’s controversial scheme, designed to deter migrant departures, whose detention has been annulled pending the ECJ ruling.
Their detentions were overturned due to a previous ECJ ruling, unrelated to Italy, which found that Egypt and Bangladesh are not entirely safe for repatriation across their territories.
Two migrants die in latest Lampedusa landing
Two migrants died during a landing at Lampedusa on Thursday.
One migrant was found dead on the beach, while another died at the outpatient clinic after being transported there. The group of 44 people landed on Isola dei Conigli, Lampedusa, after travelling on a nine-metre boat. Police intercepted them on the road.
Other migrants, from Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, and Morocco, informed police that two of their companions had fallen ill. Officers found one body on the beach and another migrant suffering from severe hypothermia, who later died at the clinic.
