In a stunning reversal, the multimillion-euro migrant detention centers opened just over a month ago by Italy in Albania now sit empty, according to sources close to the situation. The facilities, which were hailed by some European leaders as a new model for processing asylum seekers outside the EU, have seen a mere 24 individuals pass through their doors – all of whom were swiftly returned to Italy after their detention was deemed unlawful.
The rapid failure of these centers has left Italy’s far-right government facing a barrage of criticism over the wasteful spending of public funds. Opposition parties have lambasted the deal, which is set to cost around €1bn over five years, as a “financial disaster” at a time when the country is struggling to balance its budget and cutting funds for critical areas like education, health, and social security.
A Model Turned Cautionary Tale
The migrant centers in Albania were opened with great fanfare on October 11th, promising to accommodate up to 3,000 asylum seekers per month with the goal of repatriating them to their countries of origin. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the initiative as a new model for establishing processing and detention centers outside the EU.
However, the reality has been far from the promised success. Of the 24 individuals sent to the centers, five were held for less than 12 hours, while the remaining 19 were detained for just over two days. All were ultimately transferred back to Italy after judges ruled it unlawful to detain them in Albania prior to repatriation, citing a recent European Court of Justice decision that a non-EU country cannot be declared “safe” unless its entire territory is deemed as such.
Staffing Fiasco
The empty centers have also led to a farcical situation with the Italian personnel deployed to operate them. Over 50 Italian police officers who were sent to Albania have already been called back home, their presence deemed “needless” in the absence of any asylum seekers to oversee. Dozens of social workers have also returned to Italy over the weekend for the same reason.
“We must stop attacking magistrates just because we don’t like a decision. It’s a waste to keep 250 police officers on a mission in Albania, so I think they should be brought back to Italy where we are struggling with staffing shortages for thousands of policemen.”
– Nicola Gratteri, Chief Prosecutor of Naples
This staffing debacle has drawn sharp rebukes from prominent figures like Nicola Gratteri, the chief prosecutor of Naples, who called out the absurdity of deploying 250 law enforcement officers to “hardly do anything” in Albania while Italy faces dire shortages of police personnel.
Political Fallout for Meloni
The spectacular failure of the Albanian migrant centers is more than just a waste of money and resources – it’s a major political liability for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Having made immigration a central issue in her campaign and criticizing previous administrations for their handling of the migration crisis, Meloni now finds her own credibility on the line.
The staggering costs and minimal results of the Albania scheme stand in stark contrast to Meloni’s promises of effective and efficient migration management. In one particularly egregious example, the transport of just eight asylum seekers by sea on an Italian military ship in mid-November came with a jaw-dropping price tag of €250,000 – more than €31,000 per person.
“The government has failed knowing it would fail. They have spent a mountain of money and played with people’s rights. This will remain in history as a shameful page for our country.”
– Elisabetta Piccolotti, MP for the Green and Left Alliance party
Opposition figures have not minced words in their condemnation of the fiasco. Green and Left Alliance MP Elisabetta Piccolotti decried the government’s actions as a “shameful page” in Italy’s history, accusing Meloni’s administration of knowingly pursuing a doomed plan while playing “with people’s rights.”
A Reckoning for EU Migration Policy?
The unraveling of Italy’s much-vaunted migrant centers in Albania raises uncomfortable questions not just for Meloni’s government, but for the European Union as a whole. The fact that these facilities were held up as a shining example by top EU officials like von der Leyen suggests a troubling disconnect between the rhetoric and reality of migration policy at the highest levels.
As the dust settles on this debacle, it remains to be seen whether it will prompt a broader reckoning within the EU about the feasibility and morality of outsourcing asylum processing to third countries. For now, the empty halls of Italy’s Albanian migrant centers stand as a monument to the perils of putting political grandstanding ahead of genuine solutions to one of Europe’s most pressing challenges.
With Meloni’s credibility on immigration in tatters and her government under fire for its profligate spending on a failed scheme, the path forward for Italy – and for Europe as a whole – is anything but clear. One thing, however, seems certain: the days of empty promises and wasted millions in the name of border security are numbered, as voters increasingly demand real results and accountability from their leaders on this critical issue.
Italy’s Albanian Migrant Center Fiasco: By the Numbers
- 24 – Total number of asylum seekers processed at the centers since opening
- 5 – Number of asylum seekers held for less than 12 hours
- 19 – Number of asylum seekers detained for just over 48 hours
- €1bn – Estimated cost of the deal with Albania over five years
- 50+ – Italian police officers recalled from Albania due to lack of work
- €250,000 – Cost to transport 8 asylum seekers by Italian military ship in November
- €31,250 – Amount spent per asylum seeker on the November transport
As these numbers make clear, Italy’s Albanian migrant center scheme has been a colossal waste of resources, with costs far outweighing any tangible benefits. The stark contrast between the millions spent and the handful of asylum seekers processed underscores the utter failure of this approach – and the urgent need for a fundamental rethink of Italy’s and Europe’s migration strategies.
