(CLO) An Italian coast guard ship picked up migrants being held in reception centers in Albania and transferred them to Italy on Saturday, following a court ruling in Italy.
The court ruling has thrown a wrench into the Italian government's plans to send illegal migrants rescued at sea to countries outside the European Union (EU).
Migrants board an Italian coast guard vessel in Shengjin, Albania on October 19, 2024. Photo: Reuters
The Italian government pledged on Friday to continue with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s plan to redirect asylum seekers abroad, saying it would appeal a legal ruling that ordered migrants in reception centers in Albania to be returned to Italy. A cabinet meeting will be held on Monday to decide on Italy’s response.
The migrants were transferred to Albania earlier this week by an Italian navy ship. There were initially 16 people in the group, but four were sent back to Italy for health reasons or because they were minors. The court in Rome said the remaining 12 people in the new facility in Gjader, Albania, must return to Italy because their countries of origin, Egypt and Bangladesh, are not considered safe.
A coast guard ship arrived at the southern Italian port of Bari, where the migrants disembarked and were taken to a reception center.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said at a press conference on Friday that he was confident the court ruling would be overturned, adding that the Italian government would appeal to the Supreme Court if necessary.
Only migrants from a list of 22 countries that Italy has classified as safe can be sent to Albania. Egypt and Bangladesh are among them. But a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has made it impossible to keep them in Albania, the Rome court said, adding that they “have the right to be taken to Italy”.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Lebanon, Prime Minister Meloni called the decision "biased" and said her administration had the right to determine which countries were safe and which were not, hinting that she would introduce new regulations to address the issue.
Cao Phong (according to Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/y-don-nhom-nguoi-di-cu-sau-khi-bi-albania-tra-lai-post317582.html
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