Italy opens controversial migrant centres in Albania

The centres, which are meant to house 3000 people a month, are Europe's first "offshoring" scheme.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersItaly opens controversial migrant centre in AlbaniaGoverno ItalianoItalian PM and Giorgia Meloni and Albanian PM Edi Rama visited the site where the centres will be built in JuneItaly, which receives the most migrant arrivals in the European Union, is partially outsourcing the challenge from today, as it opens the first of two planned camps in neighbouring Albania.

The centres will be used to house up to 3000 migrants per month rescued en route to Italy as part of Europe’s first "offshoring" scheme, while the continent grapples with how to respond to the challenge of irregular migration.

The camp that opens today is located in the northern Albanian port of Shengjin. The opening of a second centre, on a former air force base in nearby Gjader, has been delayed.

The structures will be entirely managed by the Italian government, which paid for their construction.

They will be used for migrants picked up in international waters – though not women, children, or those deemed vulnerable.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lke090kgko

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