January 25 (SeeNews) - Italy’s lower chamber of parliament has approved an agreement under which migrants rescued at sea will be temporarily accommodated in facilities in Albania, the Italian parliament said in a press notice on Wednesday.
The MPs approved the deal with 155 votes in favour, 115 against, and two abstentions. The next step is for the text to move to the Senate, where Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s forces hold a majority.
Meloni, leader of the hard-right Brothers of Italy party, took office in 2022 pledging to halt the arrival of migrant boats from North Africa to Italy.
In Albania, similar to Italy, the deal faces criticism from rights groups and opposition politicians. The agreement is awaiting a decision from the Albanian constitutional court on January 29. The deal's ratification in parliament was suspended due to claims of unconstitutionality by the opposition.
The deal involves the construction of a screening centre for migrants at the Shengjin port in northwestern Albania, and another centre further inland to accommodate up to 3,000 migrants at a time during the remaining asylum or repatriation procedures, Meloni said in November. If Italy rejects the asylum bids, Albania would deport the migrants.
As many as 155,754 migrants arrived to Italy by sea in 2023, some 50% more than in 2022, the country’s interior ministry reported earlier.
The agreement has raised constitutionality concerns. Last week, international human rights organisation Amnesty International said its implementation could negatively impact human rights, including the rights to life and physical integrity of people in distress at sea, thus breaching Italy’s obligations under EU law.