Politics Italy allows migrants to enter from camps in Albania
The first migrants from the new camps for examining asylum applications outside the EU in Albania are now allowed to continue on to Italy after all. After an initial check, the Italian authorities decided that four of a total of 16 men from Egypt and Bangladesh would be allowed to enter the country.
17.10.2024, 09:50
SDA
In two cases, this was justified on the grounds that the two migrants were not yet adults. The other two men had complained of serious health problems, as reported by the Ansa news agency. A decision on their applications will now be made in Italy.
A few hours after their arrival, the four men were returned to an Italian navy ship that had taken them on board during their escape from Libya across the Mediterranean and then brought them to Albania. The other twelve migrants remained there.
Italy is the first country in the European Union to accommodate refugees in camps outside the EU. There, their applications are to be examined by Italian officials in a fast-track procedure: Those who are entitled to asylum may continue on to Italy; those who are rejected must return.
Italian experiment in the eyes of other EU states
The camps are intended to implement the plans of Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who came to office promising to crack down on irregular migration. However, only adult men from countries of origin classified as safe who are picked up by Italian authorities' ships in the Mediterranean are to be taken in. The regulation does not apply to children, women, sick people or victims of torture. Migrants who reach Italy's shores under their own steam or are taken on board by private vessels are also exempt.
Italy is one of the countries particularly affected by the movement of refugees from Africa to Europe via the Mediterranean. The numbers were particularly high last year: almost 160,000 migrants reached Italy's shores on boats. Currently, fewer than half as many people are arriving than a year ago. Nevertheless, tens of thousands are still making their way in boats that are often barely seaworthy. The Italian experiment with processing asylum procedures in third countries is also being closely followed by other EU states.
