An Italian navy ship brought a second group of migrants from Egypt and Bangladesh picked up in the Mediterranean to its offshore asylum processing center in Albania on Friday, despite a lawsuit hanging over Italy’s new arrangement.
The eight men were traveling on a boat from Africa to Europe when the Italian navy ship picked them up a few days ago. Their asylum applications must now be processed in Albania before it is learned whether they will be allowed to enter Italy or be returned to their country of origin.
Italy is the first EU country to process asylum applications in camps outside the European Union.
The new arrangement has sparked a fierce dispute between the Italian government and the judiciary after a court in the northern city of Bologna ruled against processing the first group of migrants to arrive in Albania, who also came from Egypt and Bangladesh.
The court ruled that the group should be taken to Italy because neither Bangladesh nor Egypt are classified as safe countries of origin under EU law – a prerequisite for processing in Italy’s offshore camps.
In response, the right-wing government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni passed a decree establishing a new list of 19 so-called safe countries of origin, including Egypt and Bangladesh.
The court in Bologna has asked the European Court of Justice to review the decree, which may also mean that the second attempt to process asylum applications in Albania will end up in court.
After the first ruling, Meloni accused the Italian judiciary of interfering in political matters. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini of the populist League party called the judges in the case “communists.”
The Italian opposition has said that the separation of powers between the government and the judiciary is in grave danger.
In the meantime, the Italian Court of Audit is investigating whether the high costs of the scheme are reasonable. Human rights groups have criticized these costs, which they estimate at 20,000 euros per refugee.
The plan is being closely watched by other European governments, several of which are considering taking a similar approach.
Italy has been one of the EU countries most affected by migration from Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean for years.
Despite a significant drop, more than 50,000 people have reached Italian coasts so far this year, according to the Interior Ministry, many after dangerous crossings that have repeatedly left people dead.