Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has hailed a landmark agreement to establish migrant processing centers in Albania as a potential blueprint for collaboration between European Union member states and non-EU countries on managing migration flows.
Meloni underscored that the accord reinforces the strategic partnership between Italy and Albania, with three key objectives: combating human trafficking, preventing irregular migration flows, and ensuring only those entitled to international protection in Europe are received.
Under the agreement signed by Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Rome, migrants rescued at sea by Italian authorities will be transferred to Albania.
This arrangement, however, does not apply to migrants picked up by NGO-operated search and rescue vessels, those who arrive on Italian shores independently, or vulnerable individuals such as minors, pregnant women, and others in need of protection.
The deal also stipulates that in the northwestern Albanian port of Shengjin, Italy will oversee disembarkation procedures, identification processes, and the establishment of the first reception and screening center.
