Politics Meloni sticks to camps in Albania

Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is sticking to her plans to examine asylum applications from Mediterranean refugees outside the EU despite a legal defeat. Following a decision by a court in Rome, twelve migrants whose applications were supposed to be decided in Albania must be brought to Italy this Saturday. The government has announced that it will appeal the decision. There is to be a special cabinet meeting on Monday. Italy is the first state in the EU to want to accommodate refugees in camps abroad.

The court had based its decision on the fact that the twelve men come from countries that are not safe countries of origin. They come from Egypt and Bangladesh. Meloni then announced that her coalition of three right-wing parties would have further regulations passed. "I don't think it's up to the judiciary to decide which countries are safe, it's up to the government," said the leader of the right-wing party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy).

With a navy ship from Albania to Italy

The twelve men will now be taken from Albania across the Adriatic Sea to the southern Italian port city of Bari on an Italian coastguard ship. They were part of an initial group of 16 migrants who were apprehended by the Italian authorities while fleeing across the Mediterranean. Four of the migrants have already been allowed to continue on to Italy because they are minors or have serious health problems.

The opposition has already described Meloni's plan to have asylum applications decided outside of Italy and the EU as a failure.

In Albania, their applications are to be examined by Italian officials in a fast-track procedure: Those who are entitled to asylum will be allowed to continue to Italy. All others must return. Up to 3,000 asylum seekers are to be accommodated in the camps at the same time.

However, only adult men from countries of origin classified as safe are to be accepted. The regulation does not apply to children, women, sick people and victims of torture - they can go straight on to Italy. The controversial Italian plan is being closely monitored by other EU countries.