The boat in question arrived at the port of Albanian Shëngjini at eight o'clock on Tuesday morning. The 49 migrants on board were stopped in international waters in the Mediterranean over the weekend.
Italy and Albania entered into an agreement in the fall of 2023, which allows Italian authorities to operate asylum centers in Albania, where migrants stopped in the Mediterranean will be held while seeking asylum in Italy. Albania is not an EU member.
The centers opened in October, but when two attempts were made to send groups of migrants there, the Italian judiciary intervened. The whole thing was rejected with reference to the fact that the migrants came from countries considered so unsafe that, regardless of the outcome of the asylum application, it would not be possible to send them back. The groups were instead taken to Italy.
The issue has been taken to the EU Court, where a hearing will be held on February 25. The objections are also based on EU legislation stating that it is not possible to classify certain parts of unsafe countries as safe.
This time, however, the transported migrants are said to come from countries that Italy considers safe in their entirety: Bangladesh, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Gambia.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has insisted that the asylum activities in Albania will get underway. Last year, over 66,000 migrants arrived in Italy.
