Migrants, Meloni: 'The two centres in Albania will be operational from 1 August. We start with 1,000 places, then 3,000".

'The complex of the two centres will be operational from 1 August 2024'. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said this during joint statements with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama after a visit to the migrant hotspot in Shengjin, Albania. "This agreement is becoming a model, a few weeks ago about 15 European nations out of 27, the majority of the EU, signed an appeal to the Commission to ask, among other things, that it follow the Italian model. Even Germany, with its interior minister, has declared that it is following this agreement with interest,' the premier stressed.

"The agreement could be replicable in many countries, it could become a part of the EU structural solution. We understand it and the supporters of uncontrolled immigration who contest it understand it. We have many eyes on us, we want to succeed. Such a goal is well worth two months of delay, related to the nature of the land in Gjader that we had not foreseen and required strengthening,' Meloni explained.

"The two facilities" for migrants in Albania "must work together, they will be ready by the first of August" and in the one in Gjader "we start with more than a thousand places at the moment, which will rise to the 3 thousand foreseen by the protocol," added Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during joint statements with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama after a visit to the migrant hotspot in Shengjin, Albania.

"We are not spending additional resources but we are making an investment," said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaking about the two migrant centres in Albania. The protocol envisages spending "670 million euro for five years, 134 million per year" which, she added, "corresponds to 7.5 per cent of the expenses related to the reception of migrants on the national territory: these resources are not to be considered an additional cost. Migrants brought here to Albania would have to be brought to Italy, where they cost money. The most useful element of this project is that it can be an extraordinary tool to deter those who want to reach Europe irregularly, and to combat traffickers. And this means cost containment'.

"Accelerated border procedures will become mandatory throughout the EU. The EU has included a special allocation in the multi-annual budget to facilitate these accelerated procedures. Compared to the narrative about the violation of the rule of law, the reality is quite different,' the premier said.