In October, the government also attempted to circumvent these rulings by drafting a new list of 19 countries deemed safe for repatriation, including Bangladesh and Egypt.
Since the inauguration of the two centers in Albania on Oct. 11, the project has received accolades from European leaders, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praising it as “an innovative solution” and asking other EU leaders to draw “lessons from the Italy-Albania protocol.”
At the same time, however, the plan has drawn widespread criticism from opposition politicians, as well as human rights organizations and legal experts.
“The feeling is that the Italian government considers itself above the law,” argued Volt Europe’s Francesca D’Antuono, who visited the center in Gjadër late last year.
“They make no distinction between their own political mandate, won through the elections, and respect for the institutional architecture that underpins our democracy, and that passes, for example, through the division of powers,” D’Antuono said.
“On Feb. 25, the European court in Luxembourg will rule on the issue. We hope it will succeed in stemming the authoritarian turn that far-right governments in Europe are implementing,” D’Antuono said.
