Italy has proposed the creation of new centers for illegal migrants as part of a broader strategy to address the ongoing migration crisis in Europe.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, citing the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the Italian government has introduced a new initiative aimed at strengthening the fight against illegal migration within the European Union.
It is reported that Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi will present a proposal at the upcoming EU Council meeting on August 4. The plan involves establishing special centers for holding illegal migrants, modeled after the so-called "Albania model." The project is intended to be financed through European funds.
The publication notes that the preliminary list of potential host countries for these centers includes Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, as well as Uzbekistan, Montenegro, and Armenia.
This initiative comes against the backdrop of a recent migration crisis at the Spanish-Moroccan border. On July 30, thousands of migrants, reportedly coordinated via social media, attempted to cross the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. In response, Spanish authorities deployed additional police and military forces to the region, with reports suggesting that between 40,000 and 60,000 individuals attempted to cross the border within a 24-hour period.
Following these events, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni indicated that she is considering the possibility of temporarily suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain. Reports suggest that Finland and Denmark have expressed support for this initiative, while EU leadership and German politician Friedrich Merz have called for strengthened border security and the cessation of illegal crossings.
The European migration crisis remains a complex geopolitical challenge, with the EU continuously seeking collaborative solutions to manage border security and asylum processing. The "Albania model" refers to a controversial arrangement where third countries host processing centers for asylum seekers, a strategy that has sparked significant debate regarding human rights and international law compliance within the bloc.
