Brussels, Belgium, 26 January 2024 — This week, Italian lawmakers approved the government’s new proposed migration deal, which would transfer people rescued at sea by Italian ships to de facto detention centres in Albania.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that this agreement is “costly, cruel and counterproductive” and risks pushing people onto ever more dangerous routes in search of safety.
Instead, the IRC is calling on the EU and its member states to uphold the legal right to asylum, scale up safe routes, and guarantee that any migration partnerships with non-EU countries are conditional on upholding fundamental rights.
Susanna Zanfrini, IRC Italy Country Director, says:
"As it moves a step closer to becoming a reality, Italy’s plan to build detention centres for asylum seekers in Albania remains deeply worrying - from a humanitarian, legal and moral perspective. It is yet another attempt to deter people from seeking asylum in Italy, rather than the government creating a humane, sustainable and efficient approach to asylum and migration.
"It is unspeakably cruel for Italy to even consider sending people who have been rescued at sea directly to another country, where it cannot be guaranteed their rights will be upheld. While the government has said this will not apply to children or people with vulnerabilities, the deal does not explicitly confirm this, and huge questions remain about how it would be implemented in practice. Moreover, it is still far from clear how people held in the Albanian centres would access legal advice when lawyers are not just outside the facility, but in another country altogether.
"Instead of doubling-down on its policies of deterrence, Italy should uphold the legal right to seek asylum on its territory, and expand safe routes so people are not forced to risk their lives in rickety boats in search of protection in the first place."
Marta Welander, IRC EU Advocacy Director, says:
"Italy’s deal with Albania is yet another example of the alarming and continuing trend of EU countries outsourcing responsibility for asylum. This is costly, cruel and counterproductive - and it risks compromising, rather than protecting, fundamental rights.
"These agreements will not stop people risking their lives in search of safety and security in Europe. If anything, they exacerbate the dangers and suffering that people face by pushing them into the hands of traffickers and onto ever more perilous routes.
"The reality is that these policies are a sticking plaster, not a sustainable solution. It’s time for the EU and its member states to forge a different approach.
"It’s vital that the EU and its member states uphold the right for all people to apply for asylum in Europe and have their claims fairly assessed. They must scale up safe routes. They must guarantee that any migration partnerships with third countries are conditional on upholding fundamental rights. If they fail to do so, they risk being complicit in the grave human rights violations unfolding at Europe’s borders, and beyond."