Italy's upper chamber gives final OK to deal with Albania to house migrants during asylum process

The Italian Senate has given final approval to an agreement with Albania to house migrants during the processing of their asylum requests

Migration Albania Italy (LaPresse)

The Italian Senate on Thursday gave final approval to an agreement with Albania to house migrants during the processing of their asylum requests, part of the government’s effort to share the migration burden with the rest of Europe.

The bill passed 93-61, after the lower Chamber of Deputies previously approved it. The proposal now awaits consideration by the Albanian parliament, after the country’s Constitutional Court gave it the go-ahead last month.

Under the five-year deal, Albania would shelter up to 3,000 migrants at a time in two centers while Italy fast-tracks their asylum requests.

The right-wing government of Premier Giorgia Meloni has hailed the agreement as a sign of European solidarity, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has endorsed it. But human rights groups have expressed concern that Italy is outsourcing its international obligations, and Italy's center-left opposition has branded it an expensive exercise in propaganda ahead of European elections in June.

The text of the agreement says the deal would cost Italy nearly 600 million euros over five years to build and staff the centers in Albania and set up the remote screening processes — money the opposition says could be better used for Italy’s existing migrant processing centers.