European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU could “learn lessons” from Italy’s controversial policy on handling migrants abroad in Albania, as leaders of 27 countries member country hosts an EU summit focusing on migration.
Ahead of the Brussels summit, she wrote to EU leaders to say that the EU executive would present a new proposal for legislation to increase deportations of migrants.
Italy began sending some migrants to a processing center in Albania earlier this week.
Sixteen men were transferred to the Albanian port of Shengjin on Wednesday, but hours after their arrival it was discovered that two were minors and two more were in poor health. and will therefore be returned to Italy.
Other EU countries have begun to consider ways of handling migrants in third countries.
On Wednesday, the Dutch government said it was considering a plan to send rejected asylum seekers to Uganda.
By organizing this week’s summit around migration, von der Leyen – who is starting his second five-year term as head of the European Commission – appears to be responding to pressure on migration from across Europe.
In a letter to member states, von der Leyen said the return rate of illegal migrants from EU countries is currently only around 20% – meaning the vast majority of those ordered to leave from an EU member state does not do so.
All member states should recognize the decisions of other EU states to ensure that “migrants who decide to return them to a country cannot exploit their traces,” writes von der Leyen. crack in the system to avoid returning elsewhere”.
Under the Italy-Albania plan, some migrants rescued in the Mediterranean will be sent to Albania to have their asylum claims considered.
Two processing centers worth around 650m euros (£547m) due to open last spring but hampered by long delays, have been paid for by the Italian government and will be comply with Italian law.
They will take in the migrants while Italy considers their asylum requests. Pregnant women, children and vulnerable people will be excluded from the plan.
Political opponents of right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as well as several NGOs have criticized Italy’s agreement with Albania.
Riccardo Magi, an MP for the left-wing party + Europa, said Albania’s plan was “cruel, useless and expensive”, while the NGO Doctors Without Borders said it was “likely to leading to further harm and human rights violations”.
Civil rights activists gathered near the Italian-built center in Shengjin carrying a large banner that read: “The European dream ends here.”
However, speaking to MPs on Tuesday, Meloni argued that the plan was “a new, brave, unprecedented path” and “perfectly reflects the European spirit”.
The implementation and outcomes of the Albanian agreement will be closely watched by many EU member states, some of whom have tried to respond to the surge in support for far-right parties by hardening more assertive in their rhetoric and approach to the migration issue.
In just the past few weeks, Germany has reintroduced land border checks, the French government said it would consider tightening immigration laws and Poland announced plans to temporarily suspend asylum rights for people crossing the border.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the controversial move was aimed at preventing Belarus from “destabilizing” Poland by allowing large numbers of migrants into the country.
In France and Germany, gruesome killings have prompted calls for tougher action on immigration. A failed Syrian refugee stabbed three people to death in Solingenwhile A young student was murdered by a Moroccan citizen near Paris. In both cases, the murders were committed by men who had received deportation orders but had not yet carried them out.
Last month, 15 member states signed a proposal by Austria and the Netherlands to improve the “efficiency” of the deportation system.
