By Angelo Amante and Giuseppe Fonte
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Tuesday to dismiss objections to her government’s flagship plan to send sea migrants to Albania.
EU judges have been asked to weigh in on the scheme by Italian courts, which have enraged Meloni by blocking the transfer of migrants to Italian-run detention centres in Albania saying it was against EU law.
Speaking to the lower house of parliament ahead of an EU leaders’ summit, Meloni said clarity was needed “on an issue which has been the subject of recent judicial measures with an ideological flavour.”
If the ECJ were to confirm these measures, “that would risk compromising…the repatriation policies of all member states,” at least until the new bloc’s asylum rules are fully implemented in 2026, she said.
“(This is) a worrying and unacceptable prospect that must be prevented with determination,” Meloni said.
Under the Italian plan, only adult and non-vulnerable men from a list of countries deemed “safe” by Rome authorities are eligible for detention in Albania and fast-track repatriation if their asylum applications are rejected.
The scheme has attracted the interest of other European nations which are seeking ways to reduce unauthorised migration.
Italian judges questioned the arrangement, saying that under an ECJ ruling from October that was not specifically related to Italy, no nation of origin could be considered “safe” if even just a part of it was dangerous.
A second ECJ ruling should settle the dispute between Italy’s judges and its government, but a decision is not expected soon.
Meanwhile, Italy has stopped sending migrants to Albania and detention facilities lie empty. Nevertheless, Meloni has repeatedly said she is confident that her plan would eventually work despite opposition claims that it has been a waste of money.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante and Giuseppe Fonte, editing by Alvise Armellini and Keith Weir)
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