TIRANA, Albania (AP) — The opposition in Albania on Wednesday spoke up at the Constitutional Court against the ratification of a contentious deal the government has signed with Italy to jointly process some asylum applications of migrants arriving in Italy by sea.
Last month, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni announced a five-year deal in which Albania agreed to temporarily shelter up to 3,000 migrants per month — up to 36,000 migrants a year — while Rome fast-tracks their requests for asylum in Italy.
Rama considers the deal as a gesture of reciprocation to Italy, which in 1991 welcomed thousands of Albanians fleeing poverty after the fall of communism.
The Albanian government’s draft law will be debated Dec. 21 and voted on in the 140-seat parliament, where Rama’s governing Socialists have 74 seats.
In a letter to the court, the opposition said it wants parliament to suspend the ratification, asserting that it runs counter to the constitution and international law.
Migrants’ isolation at camps in Albania denies them “any right the Albanian Constitution has for individuals,”…
Read the full article here