Italys newest non-EU migrant-processing setup in Albania started its second try with a small-scale test. The Italian navy ship brought just 8 rescued people to Shengjin port (which happened early morning last wednesday)
The Italian-Albanian deal created two processing-spots: one in Shengjin and another in Gjader — both run by Italian workers with a max limit of 3k people at once. Its a first-of-its-kind plan where an EU country moves asylum tasks outside the union
The first try didnt go as planned: about a year ago a group of 16 people from Egypt and Bangladesh got sent back to Italy real quick. A Rome court said: you cant keep them in Albania; theres problems with their legal status. Most of these people ended up in regular non-guarded spots for asylum-seekers
Legal stuff got tricky when judges looked at what makes a “safe“ country — the European court says you cant call a place safe if some parts arent ok. Now Italian officials might focus on people from Tunisia (since its seen as more stable than other spots); but nobody confirmed this yet
The whole thing shows how hard it is to make new rules work: even when you think youve got everything figured out theres always some catch. The Italian-Albanian setup keeps trying to find its way through all these rules and laws‚ but its moving real slow and careful now