Response from Rome

The government of Georgia Meloni is trying to find a solution to the issue of the transfer of migrants to the two closed centers in Albania. After the judicial “blockade” of last Friday, last night the cabinet approved a special legislative decree, which contains the list of nineteen countries of origin of immigrants, which are considered safe by Italy. In this way, Meloni and her colleagues intend to resume transporting asylum seekers to the two centers of Giarder and Sengin, in northern Albania.

In his statements, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio emphasized that judges are obliged to respect the law and that, if they do not agree, they should appeal to the Constitutional Court. A sensation was caused by his opinion that some officials of the Justice may not have understood the decision of the European Court on safe countries of origin, because “it is written in French and it is long and complicated”.

Minister vs. Judges?

Meloni was supposed to address the whole matter in a detailed press conference, this morning, but it was postponed. Well-known constitutionalists, however, believe that this new move by the conservative alliance of Rome does not change the reality that has been formed until now. That the judges, that is, based on European decisions, will always have the possibility not to validate the mandatory stay of immigrants in the closed, Italian centers of Albania.

According to information, at the same time, the enormous aggravation that has arisen between the executive and the judiciary has caused the intense concern of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. As the press writes, Mattarella asked the government to “soften” and limit the content of the new legislative decree.

In the next few days, a new route of the Italian Coast Guard ship is expected to take place, from the island of Lampedusa to the Albanian coast, for the transport of asylum seekers. What remains to be seen is whether the judges will consent to their stay in these closed centers or whether they will ask, once again, to return to Italy.