Archive · 13 Nov 2025
Italy's Meloni Vows to Push Ahead With Albania Migrant Camp Plan
Italy has a plan to send people who try to reach Italy by boat to Albania to have their requests for asylum reviewed.
The idea is that this would discourage people from making the dangerous journey.
However, judges in Italy have said this plan doesn't follow the rules, and even the big European court has disagreed with Italy.
The camps in Albania opened, but not many people are there.
Prime Minister Meloni still wants the plan to work and believes it will start fully in 2026 when new European rules about immigration begin.
Some experts worry that even with the new rules, there could still be legal problems because the camps are in a different country.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is committed to relaunching a plan to detain migrants in Albania.
The scheme, agreed in 2023, aims to process asylum requests for migrants caught at sea in Albania.
The plan has faced significant legal challenges, with Italian courts and the EU's top court ruling against it.
The Albanian camps, opened in October 2024, have been largely empty and are currently used as repatriation hubs.
Meloni aims for the camps to be fully operational by mid-2026, coinciding with new EU immigration rules.
- Who
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Albanian counterpart Edi Rama
- What
- Vowing to relaunch a controversial plan to detain and process migrants in Albania.
- When
- Meloni made the vow on Thursday; camps opened in October 2024 and are projected to be operational from mid-2026.
- Where
- Italy and Albania
- Why
- Meloni sees the scheme as a disincentive for migrants and a way to change the migration paradigm, despite legal blocks and low occupancy.
Supporters of the Scheme
Critics and Legal Challenges
Effectiveness and Disincentive
Supporters of the Scheme
Prime Minister Meloni believes the scheme can change the entire migration paradigm and serve as a disincentive for migrants entering Italy.
Critics and Legal Challenges
An analyst warns that legal obstacles could remain due to the exceptional status of Italian-run facilities in a foreign country, suggesting appeals would continue even if operational.
Operational Status and Legal Hurdles
Supporters of the Scheme
Meloni is confident the Albanian camps will be operational from mid-2026 when new EU immigration rules come into force.
Critics and Legal Challenges
Italian courts have ordered migrants to be returned to Italy, citing issues with EU law, and the EU's top court has also ruled against the Rome government, stalling the plan.
- Scheme Agreement
- Italy and Albania signed a protocol in 2023.
- Objective
- Process asylum requests for migrants caught at sea in Albania.
- Target Capacity
- Process 36,000 male asylum seekers per year.
- Current Status
- Largely empty since opening in October 2024; used as repatriation hubs for failed asylum seekers.
- Projected Operational Date
- Mid-2026, with new EU immigration rules.
- Key Proponent
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.