Italy has accelerated its transfers of migrants to a centre in Gjader, Albania, following new European Parliament measures aimed at facilitating the return of asylum seekers to countries considered “safe.”
The centre, part of Italy’s wider return policy, has seen its population rise from around 20 people to approximately 90 in recent weeks, according to an Italian interior ministry source.
Giorgia Pintus, from the TAI Asylum and Immigration Board, reported that two significant transfers occurred in the past two weeks. The ministry noted that the centre has remained operational since opening in 2024, though its occupancy varies depending on necessity.
The purpose of the Albania protocol is to prevent failed asylum seekers from escaping deportation, which happens in the vast majority of cases when the asylum procedure is conducted on European soil. European Union laws only allow the detention of migrants in exceptional cases.
Since normal asylum procedures can take weeks or even months due to backlogs, most migrants have already disappeared within the Schengen area by the time deportation orders are issued. Unless they never enter the EU—hence, Albania.
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