ROME (Reuters) – An Italian court on Friday invalidated the detention in Albania of a first group of migrants rescued by the Italian navy, ruling that the agreement concluded between Giorgia Meloni’s government and Albania contravenes European rules.
This court decision, which concerns 12 migrants who arrived in Albania on Wednesday while their asylum request was being examined by Rome, has provoked the ire of Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party and the Italian government, including the minister of Internal, Matteo Piantedosi, who announced that he would appeal.
The Court justified its decision with a ruling recently issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on the countries of origin of migrants who can be considered “safe” by the host countries, considering that the 12 migrants concerned, coming from Bangladesh and Egypt do not meet the detention criteria provided for by the agreement concluded between Rome and Tirana.
“The refusal to validate the detentions (in Albania) is due to the impossibility of recognizing the states of origin of the detainees as safe countries,” the president of the court, Luciana Sangiovanni, said in a statement.
Sixteen migrants rescued in the Mediterranean were initially taken to one of the two detention centers built by Italy in Albania, but four of them have already been repatriated to Italian soil for health reasons or because they were minors.
In the ruling, the Rome court believes that the other 12 migrants have “the right to be transported to Italy”.
“The media show organized by the Meloni government is contrary to national and international law,” the NGO Sea-Watch Italia stated on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
In a statement also released on the countries of origin. “They would like to erase Italy’s borders, we won’t allow it,” threatens the far-right party.
Giorgia Meloni announced that the government will meet on Monday to study the consequences of the decision issued by the Italian courts.
(Reporting by Marco Carta and Angelo Amante, French version Tangi salaün, edited by Sophie Louet)