An Albanian court has constitutionally approved the Italian government’s plan to process asylum claims in the port town of Shengjin in North-West Albania from Spring 2024. According to Albanian media, the decision was narrowly passed with five votes in favour and four against. The decision means two centres in Albania will process in excess of 36,000 migrants hoping to reach Italy per year.

Under the agreement originally made in November 2023, the Italian government are set to fund these centres, which will be operated under Italian law. Security officers and border control are to be supplied by the Albanian government. Once migrants’ asylum claims have been assessed, the Italian government will be responsible for granting asylum in Italy or deportation.

The decision must still be officially ratified by Albanian President Edi Rama, but opposition is expected to be limited given his party’s significant majority in Parliament. This comes despite widespread criticism from human rights experts that the scheme is not in line with international law, including United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, who raised concerns about potential living conditions at the centres. The Albanian court itself had previously declared the agreement unconstitutional in December 2023 based on two petitions made by the Albanian opposition party on human rights grounds.

In January, Italian MPs voted in favour of the agreement by 155 votes to 115. The scheme will now go up to the Italian Senate for final approval. The scheme was first presented by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a model of collaboration on immigration between EU and non-EU countries. The joint venture could serve as a useful blueprint for other countries struggling with high migration such as the UK, whose government continues to divide itself over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s flagship plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.