New idea in Italy:

Detainees instead of asylum seekers in Albanian camp

The reception center for migrants is currently empty.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Adnan Beci)

After several attempts to accommodate migrants in the controversial Italian reception center in Albania failed in court, the staff stationed there is now slowly being reduced. While the government of Prime Minister Girogia Meloni continues to fight for asylum procedures outside the EU, there are already ideas for a different use of the camp.

Former head of government Matteo Renzi is proposing to convert the facility into detention centers for Albanian convicts serving time in Italian prisons. This could help to relieve the pressure on Italy's overcrowded prisons. 

Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi

(Bild: AFP)

"Meloni's Albania strategy has failed"
"We should house the approximately 2,000 Albanian prisoners who are in Italy in Albania. This would allow us to improve the condition of the overcrowded prisons without wasting taxpayers' money," said Renzi in an interview with the daily newspaper "La Stampa" on Friday. According to the leader of the opposition center-left Italia Viva party, it is obvious that the Albania centers set up by Italy will never go into operation. The Albania strategy of the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had failed, said Renzi. 

The government in Rome had recently failed twice with its plan to have the asylum applications of migrants decided outside the EU. Courts lifted the detention of migrants in the camps twice in succession after they had previously been stopped by the authorities in the Mediterranean on their way to Europe. They were transferred to Italy. 

The reception center was supposed to be a showcase project for EU asylum policy. However, it turned out to be a complete failure.

(Bild: AP/Vlasov Sulaj)

Italy is the first EU country to set up camps outside the EU borders in order to process asylum applications there in an accelerated procedure and in accordance with Italian law. Other European governments are closely following the "Albania model" in order to learn the appropriate lessons.

Mistreatment and psychotropic drugs in detention centers
While this controversial project has met with resistance, the Council of Europe has given Italy's return centers a very poor report card. According to a report by the anti-torture body, migrants are mistreated and sedated with psychotropic drugs there.

During a visit in April, members of the panel found that there were "several cases of physical abuse and excessive use of force by police officers". The administration of unprescribed psychotropic drugs diluted in water was also denounced. In general, "poor material conditions" prevailed in the detention centers and medical care was poor.