Italian Navy Transfers Migrants to Albania

An Italian naval ship, the Libra, successfully docked in Albania with eight migrants after a previous attempt to transfer asylum seekers was thwarted by a court ruling. This marks only the second transfer since Italy established two migrant processing centers in Albania, designed to handle asylum claims outside the EU. The first group of 16 migrants sent to Albania in October was returned to Italy due to legal concerns regarding their safety status. The Italian government is facing challenges in defining which countries are considered 'safe' for repatriation, as highlighted by recent court rulings. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration hopes that processing migrants in Albania will deter further crossings to Italy, amidst criticism from human rights activists regarding the legality and ethics of the approach. As of now, the number of migrants arriving in Italy has decreased by 60% in 2024 compared to the previous year.