The Italian reception facility was welcomed with great interest by many EU countries at last week’s EU summit as a 'solution' to the issue of large numbers of asylum seekers in European countries.
Last week, the Netherlands also announced that it is working on plans to transfer asylum seekers awaiting the processing of their application by the Netherlands to Uganda. Earlier, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he would fly rejected asylum seekers to Rwanda, but that plan has since been withdrawn.
The idea proposed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in which Albania would be used as an external reception site for migrants who have no right to asylum in Italy, was rejected by the court. The court ruled that detention outside Italian borders is illegal, as it conflicts with the Italian constitutional and international human rights treaties to which Italy is bound.
Albania, which is not an EU member, was to receive financial compensation for providing temporary accommodations. Reactions to the reversal of the plan are mixed. While critics welcomed the ruling as a victory for the rule of law and human rights, the Italian government responded with disappointment. Prime Minister Meloni indicated that her government is seeking new legal avenues to proceed with the plan regardless.