EU Court deals major blow to Italy’s Albania migrant camps scheme
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued a landmark ruling questioning the legality of Italy's controversial plan to process asylum seekers in migrant camps in Albania, dealing a severe blow to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s immigration strategy.
In its long-awaited judgment, the Luxembourg-based court ruled that Italy’s use of a “safe countries” list to fast-track deportations — a core legal basis for the Albania scheme — must meet strict legal criteria, including transparency and the right to challenge evidence, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Meloni's office called the ruling "surprising" and warned it “weakens policies to combat mass illegal immigration and defend national borders.”
The ECJ decision stems from a case brought by two Bangladeshi nationals who were rescued at sea, taken to Albania, and swiftly denied asylum based on Italy’s classification of Bangladesh as a 'safe' country. Italian courts later ordered their return, citing EU law violations.
“Technically, it seems to me that the government's approach has been completely dismantled,” said Dario Belluccio, a lawyer representing one of the asylum seekers. “The Albanian scheme is effectively dead.”
The detention centers built in Albania under the plan have been largely empty for months due to legal blocks, and a recent report revealed that construction costs were seven times higher than equivalent facilities in Italy.
While the ECJ acknowledged that EU member states can define their own 'safe countries', it emphasized that these designations must be legally sound and open to judicial scrutiny. The court sided with an Italian judge who said it was impossible to access documentation used to label Bangladesh as safe.
The ruling further stated that a country cannot be deemed safe if it fails to provide adequate protection to all segments of its population, reinforcing concerns raised by Italian courts last year.
In response, Meloni’s office expressed concern that national judges now appear to have the power to overrule government migration policies, arguing it limits both parliamentary authority and executive decision-making.
“This is a development that should concern everybody,” the statement warned.
Meloni had championed the Albania offshoring plan as a bold solution to managing irregular migration — one closely watched by other EU nations considering similar measures. But the court’s decision now leaves that vision in serious doubt.
Similar news
