Italy Disembarks First 16 Deported Migrants in Albania

The first military ship chartered by Italy to transfer asylum seekers to Albania arrived at its destination on Wednesday. This is the result of an agreement that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, now plans to study for possible application in other scenarios. The Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, claimed it on Tuesday as a "good example".

On this first Navy ship, 16 migrants arrived - ten Egyptians and six Bangladeshis - rescued last Sunday in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The ship docked at the Albanian port of Shengjin, where a preliminary procedure will be carried out before the transfer to the Gjader center, one of the two included in this bilateral agreement, according to the AdnKronos news agency.

Meloni highlighted before the Italian Parliament that it is a "new" and "brave" solution, despite facing skepticism from human rights organizations. The agreement stipulates that migrants will wait on Albanian soil to determine whether they have the right to enter Italian territory and, by extension, the EU.

The President of the European Commission mentioned the Italian case in a letter sent to the leaders of the member states. She calls, among other things, to open the debate on the creation of deportation centers. "With the start of operations of the protocol between Italy and Albania, we can learn lessons from this practical experience," said the head of the European Commission, on the eve of a leaders' meeting that will largely focus on migration.