Immigrants, EU turn: Albania becomes the model
The Italian government has announced its intention to turn the immigrant hotspots of Shengjin and Gjader into Repatriation Permanence Centres (RPCs). The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, said: 'The transformation into a CPR will be done without losing the original function'. According to Piantedosi, this move has already led to a 35% increase in repatriations compared to the previous year.
Von der Leyen: from solidarity to borders
The new European course on migration reflects a profound change in the political narrative of the European Commissionled by Ursula von der Leyen. If in 2020 the president spoke of immigration as a phenomenon that 'has enriched our societies', today her message is radically different: 'We decide who enters Europe, not the traffickers'.
This sentence, spoken at the Congress of the European People's Party (EPP) in Bucharest, marks the transition from a solidarity between Member States to a vision purely securitarian and conservativealigned with the positions of EPP president Manfred Weber and several centre-right governments.
Von der Leyen, now also Spitzenkandidatin of the EPP for the European elections in June, has taken a hard line focused on strengthening the external borders, on the relocation of asylum procedures in 'safe' third countries and on combating traffickers. Of solidarity between Member States, in his latest statements, there is no longer a trace.
The EPP manifesto, which proposes a radical change in European asylum legislation, explicitly states that those seeking international protection can be transferred to a third state, which will take care of the procedure. A shift in line with the so-called 'Rwanda model' and in stark contrast to the original spirit of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Operational and financial details of centres in Albania for immigrants
The Albanian centres will host male immigrants, of age and in good health, from countries considered 'safe', for whom accelerated procedures will be initiated. The facilities include a 144-seat CPR, an 880-seat asylum seeker centre and a penitentiary. The projected cost is about 200 million euro per year for five years, a figure that the Viminale claims is lower than the costs of traditional reception.
Decline in landings and future prospects
Data show a decrease in landings: -17% compared to 2024 and -58% compared to 2023. The government attributes this decrease to the deterrent effect of the protocol with Albania. Moreover, with the new European course, Italy is a candidate to be a reference and forerunner of an 'external' management of migrations, which Brussels likes more and more.
Published by Condoralex
Born Alessandro Generotti, C.le Maj. Parachutist on leave. Military Parachutist Patent no. 192806. 186th RGT Par. Folgore/5th BTG. Par. El Alamein/XIII Cp. Par. Condor.
Founder and administrator of the website BRIGATAFOLGORE.NET. Blogger and computer scientist by profession.
