SHNGJIN: Dozens of migrants arrived in Albania on Tuesday, days after Italy resumed the transfer of asylum seekers to its maritime neighbour in a controversial programme that is under judicial review.

The ship carrying 49 migrants, according to Italian authorities, arrived at the Albanian port of Shengjin shortly before 8am local time, according to journalists on the ground.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed a deal with her Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, in November 2023 to open two Italian-run centres across the Adriatic in Albania, to process some migrants rescued by Italian authorities in the Central Mediterranean. Tuesday’s boat was the first to arrive in Albania following a months-long pause.

The centres first became operational in October but judges ruled against the detentions of the first two groups of men transferred there, who were instead sent to Italy. The judges cited a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which is now due to review the issue.

Italy, like many other countries, draws up a list of so-called safe countries from which asylum seekers can have their applications fast-tracked. Only men from these safe countries are eligible to be taken to the Albania centres.

But the judges who blocked the first transfer of migrants cited an ECJ ruling stipulating that European Union states can only designate entire countries as safe, not parts of countries. Italy’s list included some countries with unsafe areas.

In response, Meloni’s government passed a law limiting its safe list to 19 countries — from 22 — and insisting all parts of those nations were safe.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2025