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The Return of the Albania Plan
The Italian government has decided to resume the plan to transfer migrants to Albania, an initiative that aims to more effectively manage migratory flows in the Mediterranean. The Navy ship, the Cassiopeia, has returned to operate in the waters south of Lampedusa, with the task of loading migrants on board to be transferred to Albania. This new attempt comes after previous operations, conducted by the ship Pound, which had seen a controversial outcome due to the decisions of the Italian judges.
The new rules and the government's hopes
With the entry into force of the new legislation on January 11, the government hopes that decisions on transfers will no longer be entrusted to the magistrates of the immigration section, but to those of the Court of Appeal. This legislative change was introduced to try to obtain more favorable results for the executive, which has always maintained that the Albania plan represents a deterrent to migratory flows. However, the issue remains complex, especially in a period in which landings are resuming, with a significant increase compared to the previous year.
The transfer protocol and identification procedures
The protocol requires Coast Guard and Financial Police patrol boats to intercept vessels in international waters. Migrants who meet certain requirements, such as being healthy adult males from countries considered safe, are transferred to the Cassiopeia. Here, an initial screening of their conditions is carried out before being transferred to the port of Hotele, where a hotspot has been set up for identification procedures. Asylum seekers will then be transferred to the centre Annoying, where they will remain awaiting the outcome of their applications.
Reactions and future prospects
Reactions to the initiative are mixed. While the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, expressed support for the Italy-Albania agreement, criticism came from opposition figures, such as Elisabetta Piccolotti of Avs, which called the plan a propaganda attempt. The issue of migrants and asylum policies therefore remains at the center of the Italian political debate, with the hope that the upcoming decisions of the European Court of Justice can bring greater clarity and certainty to asylum procedures for migrants from countries considered safe.