Human rights groups have criticized the deal, which could hold up to 36,000 people a year in Italian-run asylum processing centres.
Albania's parliament has approved a deal with Italy that will see thousands of rescued asylum seekers held in international waters while authorities process their claims, drawing criticism from human rights groups.
Under the agreement, Albania will house up to 3,000 migrants and refugees at a time for about a month at two Italian-run processing centers near Albania's Shengjin port. It is estimated that up to 36,000 people could be sent to the country each year.
The deal has been condemned by rights groups, with the International Rescue Committee calling it “dehumanizing”. Amnesty International condemned this as “illegal and unworkable”.
The deal was approved by Albania's Constitutional Court last month and supported by 77 members of the 140-member parliament, which is dominated by Prime Minister Edi Rama's Socialist Party.
Conservative opposition politicians boycotted the vote, decrying the lack of transparency and calling the deal an “irresponsible and dangerous move for national security.”
Albania's parliamentary approval came weeks after Italian lawmakers also voted in favor of the deal.
The presidents of the Balkan countries will issue a decree as the final step in implementing the agreement.
European Commission approval
The agreement was signed in November between Mr. Rama and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. This was supported by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Meloni said he expected the two fully Italian-operated processing centers to be operational by this spring.
Italy will remain legally responsible for asylum seekers throughout the process and will organize their deportation from Albania if they are denied international protection.
Prime Minister Rama stands next to Meloni to express Albania's gratitude on behalf of Albanians who took refuge in Italy after the fall of communism in the 1990s and “escaped hell and imagined a better life.” said.
By 2024, the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Italy by boat is expected to almost double to around 160,000 compared to the same period last year.