Migrants, what are the centres in Albania and how much did they cost

There are two areas that, following the agreement reached between the two premiers, Giorgia Meloni and Edi Rama, were intended to host migrants - male, not vulnerable and from safe countries -whom they aimed to repatriate quickly after the asylum application. At the port of Schengjin, a hotspot was set up for the identification of migrants rescued at sea exclusively from Italian ships. After the detection of the generalities the people are (at least according to the initial rules) transferred to Gjader, some twenty kilometres inland. Three facilities have been set up here: a centre for the detention of asylum seekers (880 places), a Cpr (144 places) and a penitentiary (20 places).

The Gjader area, made available by Tirana, was a former site of the Albanian Air Force that was heavily degraded. The Italian Army Corps of Engineers were engaged in the strenuous restoration and fitting-out work that lasted months, with the water and sewage networks being activated and the ground to be consolidated. On site there are boundary walls, cameras along the perimeter, a security device inside, where Italian jurisdiction is in force and Italian police forces guarantee order. UNHCR personnel are also present to monitor respect for the rights of the refugees. For the validation hearings of the detention, videoconference connections with the court of Rome are foreseen..

Italy is responsible for the construction and management of the centres (for about 62 million euro), but the costs seem to be the most complicated puzzle to solve. The expenses listed in the ratification law amount to around 650 million and include a wide variety of items, from maintenance to recruitment, from insurance to staff travel from Italy: the latter is the largest item (over 250 million). For the rental of the ship, the 'preliminary market consultation' launched by the Viminale speaks of a maximum of 13.5 million for three months. The cooperative Medihospes won the contract to manage the reception for 24 months with a bid of 133.8 million euro.

On 5 June, during a visit to Tirana, Meloni had recalled that "overall the funds allocated for the implementation of the protocol amount to 670 million euro for five years, i.e. 134 million euro a year, which corresponds to 7.5% of the expenses related to the reception of migrants on the national territory and we are convinced that these resources are not to be considered an additional cost". According to Palazzo Chigi's calculations, 'with the current capacity of these centres at full capacity, considering the migrants who are not received in Italy, we will save €136 million'.