Two centers for migrants, approximately 1,200 places in total and 600 million euros that Italy will spend over five years to make them work. The structures resulting from the memorandum of understanding between Italy and Albania with which the government led by Giorgia Meloni intends to prevent irregular migratory flows are ready, welcoming only those who have the right to international protection.
Migrants rescued by Italian ships (but not by NGOs) will be transferred directly to Albanian facilities. A way to “externalize” borders, which is pleasing the European Union and other leaders of the bloc, in particular Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. This despite the numerous controversies and doubts of a legal and humanitarian nature surrounding these structures.
What does the agreement between Italy and Albania on migrants establish?
The treaty signed on 6 November 2023, between the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, has a validity of 5 years, with the possibility of extension for another 5. The protocol has among its pillars the construction and management of two migrant centers, where the people transferred to Albania will be sorted.
They should have come into operation as early as May 20th, but the delivery of the Gjader site only took place on October 9th. The other one, Shengjin’s, has been ready for months.
Migrant centers in Albania
The first reception centre, delivered months ago, was built in Shengjin (in Italian San Giovanni Medua), a hamlet of the municipality of Alessio, on the northern coast of Albania, about sixty kilometers from Tirana.
Only the entry procedures (identification and registration) of people relocated to Albania will be carried out here, so as not to overcrowd the Italian reception centers. The Italian-run facility will be able to accommodate around 200 people, who will be identified and subject to verification of the conditions for reception or repatriation.
The other site is that of Gjader, a highly degraded former Albanian Air Force site, which is located about twenty kilometers from Shengjin, heading north.
The Gjader site, delivered on October 9 for testing, is where the migrants will be transferred after the initial identification phases which took place in Shengjin. It includes more structures: an 880-place center that will host migrants who have applied for asylum and are awaiting a response, a 144-place center for the repatriation of migrants who have had their asylum request rejected, and a penitentiary to 20 places for those who commit crimes within the camp.
In the centers it is expected that Italian jurisdiction will be in force and that the Italian police forces will guarantee order. Staff from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will also be present to monitor respect for refugee rights.
Migrants in Albania: what Giorgia Meloni doesn’t say
According to the agreements, asylum applications will be processed within four weeks. Videoconference connections are planned with the Rome court for detention validation hearings.
How much do structures in Albania cost Italy
The Shengjin structure cost 3 million euros to build, while 200 thousand euros (for 2024) were spent on the connections alone.
The Gjader site was more expensive, as it was a highly degraded former Albanian Air Force site. The soldiers of the Italian Engineers were engaged in the tiring restoration and set-up work which lasted months. Roads, sewers, tanks, buildings, as well as boundary walls were built. Cameras have also been installed along the perimeter and a security device inside the structure.
The estimated costs are 20 million euros for 2024, plus 8 million for the connections of the various networks. In addition to the costs relating to the buildings, Italy will bear all costs necessary for the accommodation and treatment of the people welcomed in the facilities in Albania, including food, medical care and any service deemed necessary. According to estimates, until 2028 the agreement for the centers in Albania should cost around 600 million euros.
When will the Italian centers for migrants open in Albania
The two centers were supposed to open on May 20th, but the date was postponed due to delays and problems in the construction of the structures. In June, during a visit to Albania, Meloni announced that the centers would open on August 1st, but further delays occurred until the beginning of October, when the Gjader site was handed over for testing. According to what we learn from the Italian government, at the end of the tests within a week the structures will open and will be able to welcome the first people to be subjected to accelerated border procedures.
The Italian ambassador to Tirana, Fabrizio Bucci, during an inspection with the press in the Shengyin centre, instead anticipated that the two centers are operational from today and ready to welcome the first migrants.