An Italian Navy ship brought a second group of migrants from Egypt and Bangladesh picked up in the Mediterranean to its offshore asylum processing centre in Albania on Friday, despite a court challenge hanging over the new Italian scheme.
The eight men were travelling on a boat from Africa to Europe when the Italian Navy ship picked them up a few days ago. They are now to have their asylum claims processed in Albania, before finding out whether they are to be allowed into Italy or are to be sent back to their countries of origin.
Italy is the first EU country to process asylum claims in camps outside the European Union.
The new scheme has led to a fierce dispute between the Italian government and the judiciary after a court in the northern city of Bologna ruled against the processing of the first group of migrants to arrive in Albania, who also came from Egypt and Bangladesh.
The court ruled that the group had to be taken to Italy because, under EU law, neither Bangladesh nor Egypt are classified as safe countries of origin – a prerequisite for processing in the Italian offshore camps.
In response, the right-wing government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni passed a decree establishing a new list of 19 supposedly safe countries of origin, which includes Egypt and Bangladesh.
The Bologna court has requested that the European Court of Justice review the decree, which may see the second attempt to process asylum claims in Albania also end up in court.
After the first ruling, Meloni accused the Italian judiciary of interfering in political matters. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, of the populist League party, referred to the judges in the case as “communists.”
The Italian opposition has said that the separation of powers between the government and the judiciary is in great danger.
Meanwhile, Italy’s national audit office is examining whether the scheme’s high costs are reasonable. Human rights groups have criticized these costs, which they put at €20,000 ($21,500) per refugee.
The scheme is being closely watched by other European governments, several of which are considering following a similar approach.
Italy has for many years been one of the EU countries that is most affected by migration from Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean.
Despite a significant decline, more than 50,000 people have reached Italian shores this year so far according to the Interior Ministry, many after perilous crossings that have repeatedly left people dead.
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