Overview

• The Italian Supreme Court ruled that Albanian migrant centers are equivalent to domestic CPRs, allowing the detention of asylum seekers transferred there.
• This decision overturned lower-court rulings, including one that annulled the detention of a Moroccan asylum seeker in Gjader.
• The Rome Court of Appeals has since conformed to the Supreme Court's precedent, validating detention orders for additional asylum seekers in Albania.
• Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced plans to repatriate 25% of migrants detained in Albania by the weekend, marking the first transfers under the updated protocol.
• Critics, including opposition parties and NGOs, argue the policy undermines asylum rights and constitutes a misuse of public resources, with a pending ECJ ruling on 'safe country' status potentially impacting the framework.