The government will continue to fight
irregular immigration by proceeding with its plan to process
asylum applications in Albania as part of a scheme to create
regional hubs that is backed by European partners, sources close
to the interior ministry said on Saturday.
"The government will move forward in the conviction that the
fight against irregular immigration, which takes advantage of
the instrumental use of asylum requests, is the road to pursue
to fight the affairs of ruthless traffickers", said the sources.
The protocol between Rome and Tirana for the fast-track
processing of asylum requests at Italian-run centres in Albania
"is the starting point for the realization of real regional hubs
on which there is full agreement with European ministers", the
sources also noted.
The sources went on to say that at a Home Affairs Council held
in Warsaw this week, "the position of Interior Minister Matteo
Piantedosi was widely shared by the colleagues present.
"European partners, in full agreement with the Commission, are
thinking about strengthening EU rules that support border
procedures also applied in Albania, not only by moving up the
entry into force of the pact's rules but also through innovative
solutions".
"The same documents discussed in Warsaw explicitly refer to the
Italy-Albania Protocol as a valid example of innovative
cooperation with a third country", the sources noted.
The new migration and asylum pact comes into force from 2026.
A coast guard ship on Saturday was taking back to Italy from
Albania 43 migrants after a Rome appeals court did not validate
their detention in the country under a scheme that has so far
been stymied by the courts.
Under the government's plan, when up to speed the Albanian
centres are set to process around 3,000 migrants a month.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has hailed
the accord as a possible model for other countries, and there
have been several expressions of interest.
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