Migrants, the first ship has left to take them to the centers set up in Albania

Male, of age, belonging to “non-vulnerable” categories and coming from safe countries: these are the requirements of the first group of migrants rescued at sea and departed from Lampedusa on board the Libra ship of the Navyin the direction of centers of Schengjin and Gjiader in Albaniawhere they will be subjected to accelerated border procedures. The arrival in Schengjin is scheduled for Wednesday. The Ministry of the Interior is in charge of the operation: Matteo Piantedosi announced that he would like to guarantee a “certain continuity” in departures.

Women, minors, tortured people, sick people were dropped off on Lampedusa: they will be placed in the ordinary reception circuit while waiting for their asylum request to be examined by the territorial commissions.

Based on the protocol signed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with Edi Rama, Albanian Prime Minister, asylum seekers transferred to Albania will receive a response within four weeks: if it is positive they will be transferred to reception centers in Italy, otherwise, in case of failure, they will be sent back to their country of origin. The commission headed by the prefecture of Rome will be responsible for examining the requests: the interviews will take place via video connection between Italy and Albania.

But there are many criticisms of the “Albania operation”. Meanwhile, the measure seems economically burdensome: transporting migrants to the centers of Schengjin and Gjader costs much more than having them disembark in Italy.

Then, the countries considered safe are Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Morocco, Montenegro, Nigeria, Peru , Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia: a ruling of 4 October by the European Court of Justice, however, casts doubt on this list because, to be part of it, it is necessary that the country in question does not resort to «persecution, torture or other inhuman treatment in any of its areas and for any person, and few of those twenty-two countries have this requirement. 15 of the 22 countries considered safe by the Farnesina do not meet this criterion.

«Giorgia Meloni’s government raises taxes and squanders almost a billion euros on migrant centers in Albania in contempt of fundamental rights of people”, comments the secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein bitterly. “Those resources could have been used to shorten waiting lists in healthcare or to hire doctors and nurses.”