Migrants seeking refuge in Italy could be taken to Albania pending asylum decisions

Migrants seeking refuge in Italy could be taken to Albania pending asylum decisions

Subject: IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

Migrants rescued at sea while attempting to reach Italy may see themselves transported to Albania beginning next month while their asylum claims are processed, under a controversial deal in which the small Balkan country will host thousands of asylum-seekers on Italy’s behalf.

More on News:

• The five-year deal, signed by Meloni and her Albanian counterpart, Eid Rama, provides for the sheltering of up to 3,000 migrants picked up by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month. They will be screened initially on board the ships that have rescued them, before being sent to Albania for additional screening.
• Those who are sent to Albania will retain their right under international and European Union law to apply for asylum in Italy and have their claims processed there, but their movement in and out of the centres in Albania will be restricted.
• The International Rescue Committee (IRC) highlights the risks associated with the scheme and urges the EU and its member states not to use this dangerous model as a blueprint for their own approaches to asylum and migration.
• The first delay came due to the crumbling soil at the Gjader camp site, which needed intervention to consolidate it. Also, the heat wave in July forced authorities to impose a break during the hottest hours of the day.

Albania:

• Officially known as the Republic of Albania is a country in Southeastern Europe.
• It is situated in the Balkans, and is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea 
• It shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the
• Tirana is its capital and largest city.
• Albania joined the UNSC as a non-permanent member for the first time in 2022.
• Italy’s top court ruling that it is illegal to return sea migrants to Libya aligns with Article 98 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
  • This article obligates states to help anyone found at sea in danger of being lost and to rescue those in distress if they can do so without serious danger to their own ship or people.