Italian Court Deals Blow to Meloni’s Asylum Plan, Sends 7 Back to Italy from Albania

A Rome court has dealt a blow to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s controversial asylum policy, sending seven asylum seekers back to Italy from Albania, Al Jazeera reports.

The decision marks the second setback for the program, which aims to process asylum claims outside the European Union.

The seven asylum seekers, from Bangladesh and Egypt, were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea by the Italian navy while attempting to reach Europe. They were then brought to Italy after a brief stay in Albania, where they were sent under a new agreement between Italy and Albania. This agreement allows Italy to operate two processing centers in Albania with the capacity to screen up to 3,000 people per month.

However, the Rome court ruled against detaining the asylum seekers in Albania, prompting their return to Italy. The court cited a need for clarification on which countries are considered safe for repatriation, particularly Egypt and Bangladesh. While Italy has designated both countries as safe, the European Union has not officially classified them as such.

The ruling has angered Meloni’s government, which has been under pressure to manage the increasing influx of refugees and migrants. The far-right government has been pursuing stricter policies, including the establishment of a new list of 19 supposedly safe countries of origin.

This latest decision follows a similar court ruling in October, which returned the first 12 asylum seekers sent to Albania to Italy. Both cases have been referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg to determine if the asylum seekers’ countries of origin are indeed safe for repatriation.