In her speech during the proceedings in the Italian Senate, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the initiative of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who, at the European leaders’ summit this weekend in Brussels, will pave the way for adopting the Italy-Albania model to open centers for managing asylum seekers outside the EU.
“As for the protocol with Albania, you understand the reasons why its implementation has been suspended for the moment. This matter is being reviewed by the European Court of Justice. The majority of EU member states and the European Commission support the stance of the Italian government on this issue. In President von der Leyen’s proposal for the European Council, which will meet this weekend, it is stated that reception centers should be opened in third countries outside the EU for the consideration of asylum applications.
This would not have happened if Italy had not had the courage to initiate the protocol with Albania. With this courage, we have provided others in the EU with an innovative solution to address migration flows together,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Referring to the Italian government’s commitment to innovative solutions, Meloni mentioned the Italy-Albania Protocol, which she said the government is determined to advance.
Meloni added that Italy supports the European Commission’s proposal for a reform of the European legislative framework for repatriations, through a shift from a Directive to a Regulation directly applicable in all 27 Member States.
“We consider this to be an extremely important development, also to harmonize the practices of different member states and to make the repatriation actions of those who are not welcome in the European Union more effective: if you enter Europe illegally, you cannot stay on our territory,” said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
