dpa
Rome
A dozen asylum seekers sent to new migrant camps in Albania by Italy arrived back in the Italian port of Bari on Saturday after a court ruling blocked plans by the right-wing Italian government, at least for now.
The 12 men from Bangladesh and Egypt were supposed to be the first whose asylum applications were decided in Albania under an arrangement set up by Prime Minister Gioriga Meloni’s government.
But a decision by a court in Rome on Friday has brought the men back to Italy. Meloni’s government has vowed to appeal against the ruling and will hold a special Cabinet meeting on Monday.
The government has also said it will continue pursuing plans to examine asylum applications outside the European Union, despite the legal defeat.
The 12 migrant men - seven from Bangladesh and five from Egypt - had only arrived in Albania on Wednesday. Their asylum cases are now to be decided on Italian soil.
Italy is the first state in the EU to set up centres for refugees outside the bloc. The two Italian camps in Albania are now empty again after just two days.
The court in Rome based its decision on the fact that the 12 men come from countries that are not deemed safe, thus making them ineligible for the new migration scheme.
Meloni subsequently announced that her coalition of one conservative and two far-right parties would pass further regulations.
“I don’t think it’s up to the judiciary to decide which countries are safe, it’s up to the government,” said the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party.
Meloni came into office following a campaign in which she promised to significantly reduce the number of migrants making the perilous trip across the Mediterranean to Italy every year.
The number of migrants making the trip has in fact dropped significantly for the first time, mainly due to a recent European Union migration agreement with Tunisia.
Meloni’s deal with Albania is supposed to be part of measures to drive down the numbers further.
The men were part of an initial group of 16 migrants who were picked up by the Italian authorities while crossing the Mediterranean and brought to Albania on Wednesday.
Four of them where then allowed to continue on to Italy because they are minors or have serious health problems.
The Italian opposition has already labelled Meloni’s plan to have asylum applications decided outside Italy and the EU as a costly failure. Opposition leader Elly Schlein spoke of an ?800 million ($870 million) “disgrace.” In Albania, their applications are supposed to be examined by Italian officials in a fast-track procedure. Those who are entitled to asylum will be allowed to travel on to Italy, while all others will be deported.
Up to 3,000 asylum seekers are to be accommodated in the newly opened camps at the same time. However, only adult men from countries of origin categorized as safe are to be sent there. The regulation does not apply to children, women, sick people and victims of torture, who may go straight on to Italy.
The controversial Italian plan is being closely monitored by other EU states.
