Italy PM seeks to save Albanian migrant deal
Published: 05:10 PM,Oct 21,2024 | EDITED : 08:10 PM,Oct 21,2024
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appears at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome. — AFP
ROME: Italy's hard-right government said it would pass a new law to overcome legal opposition to a migrant deal with Albania, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused judges of political bias. A decree, set to be adopted at a cabinet meeting on Monday, would enshrine in law the government's definition of 22 countries as 'safe', which would mean Rome can fast-track applications from asylum seekers from those countries.
The move follows a ruling by Italian judges on Friday against the detention of the first migrants sent for processing in Albania. This dealt a major blow to the government's flagship policy, which is being closely studied by other European nations. Rome has repeatedly said that other European Union countries are interested in the scheme as a way of processing asylum requests in countries outside the bloc. The judges pointed to a recent European Court of Justice ruling which stipulates that EU states can only designate whole countries as safe, not parts. — AFP
The move follows a ruling by Italian judges on Friday against the detention of the first migrants sent for processing in Albania. This dealt a major blow to the government's flagship policy, which is being closely studied by other European nations. Rome has repeatedly said that other European Union countries are interested in the scheme as a way of processing asylum requests in countries outside the bloc. The judges pointed to a recent European Court of Justice ruling which stipulates that EU states can only designate whole countries as safe, not parts. — AFP