The “bra de fer” of the Italian conservative government with the judges continues. The Tunisian government Georgia Meloni is preparing to give the “green light” again to the transfer of migrants to the two closed centers that Italy created in northern Albania. According to the newspaper Corriere della Sera, from tomorrow the Italian Navy ship Libra will head south of Lampedusa where it will begin picking up migrants traveling by boat trying to reach Sicily and Calabria. The entire operation will take place in international territorial waters. People who are deemed not to belong to vulnerable groups and come from “safe countries” will be able to be transferred to Albania in the closed centers of Giardert and Sengin.

According to information, this time the Italian authorities will give priority, mainly, to immigrants coming from Tunisia due to the fact that repatriation agreements have been signed with this country, which have already begun to be implemented.

The judges will hardly change their minds

The big question, however, is what stance the court in Rome will take and whether this time it will validate the mandatory stay of the asylum seekers who will be transferred to northern Albania. Italian analysts say that it is very unlikely that the judges will change their minds and that decisions may be issued again that will oblige the navy and the coast guard to bring the migrants back to the Italy. With the aim of having their request for asylum examined through a regular and not an expedited procedure, based on European law.

In the meantime, data that was reported by all the media caused a sensation, according to which the annual cost of accommodation for carabinieri and police officers who will work in the two specific closed centers reaches almost nine million euros. An agreement was signed with two luxury hotels, with a private beach, spa and many other amenities. “This is yet another scandal, at the expense of our citizens,” said the secretary of the center-left “Democratic Party” Ellie Sline. The Italian Ministry of the Interior did not deny the news but replied that if all the 295 police and carabinieri planned to be sent to Albania are not used, all the related costs can be reduced.