Rome court blocks Meloni’s plans to transfer migrants to Albania again

A Rome court on Monday decided to once again disrupt Meloni's recently established Italy-Albania migration outsourcing scheme by suspending the transfer of seven asylum seekers, adding to the 12 transfers it suspended in mid-October.

The asylum seekers, originally from Egypt and Bangladesh, were relocated from Italy to the Albanian centre on Friday. The court’s decision means they are now being returned to Italy.

While the same judges had previously blocked detentions, deeming the applicants' countries of origin unsafe based on an EU Court of Justice ruling on 4 October, this time, they suspended proceedings and referred the government's revised 'safe country' decree back to the same court.

“The criteria for designating a country as ‘safe’ are set by EU law. Therefore, notwithstanding national legislative prerogatives, judges must always verify – as in any legal sector – the proper application of EU law, which takes precedence over national law when incompatible, as the Italian Constitution also provides,” according to a statement explaining the court’s decision that is likely further to escalate tensions between the government and the judiciary.

With the ruling, the Rome court confirms that the government's hastily revised 'safe countries' decree, issued between the first and second migrant transfers to avoid further legal setbacks, still cannot override EU law, which requires that for a country to be considered 'safe', security must be guaranteed throughout its territory.

In recent days, courts in Bologna, Palermo, and Rome have already submitted related questions to the EU Court.

Monday's ruling also marks yet another delay in Albania's outsourcing project, which opposition leaders say is costing the state millions by leaving the centres empty for over a month.

According to the national tender, the two Albanian reception centres will cost €653 million over five years.

“Yet another politically motivated decision, not targeting the government, but Italians and their safety,” said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, criticising the court’s decision.

“And now the seven, too. The incompetence, waste, and futility are truly unbelievable,” Democratic Party Senator Filippo Sensi said on social media.

(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)