Edi Rama's kneeling commitment: Meloni and the Migration deal flared up!

Edi Rama's kneeling commitment: Meloni and the Migration deal flared up!

Tirana, Albanien - The Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama recently caused a sensation when he knelt in front of Italy's head of government Giorgia Meloni during a summit of the European Community in Tirana on a rain -wet red carpet. Meloni, embarrassed and surprised, asked him repeatedly not to do this. This unusual gesture illustrated the close friendship between the two politicians, but not all reactions were positive. On social media, images of the scene spread quickly and triggered controversial discussions in Italian media. Right commentators interpreted Rama's behavior as a "recognition of Italian leadership", while opposition politicians criticized it as "unworthy submissive gesture". The gesture received special attention, also because of Rama's striking white sneakers that were printed with the logo of the European political community.

Diplomatic relationships between Albania and Italy are not only shaped by personal ties, but also by concrete political measures in the field of migration. Since May 2024, both countries have been working on a deal that provides for the establishment of Italian refugee centers on Albanian territory. According to kosmo.at, migrants who arrive in Italy are accommodated in these facilities. There are currently around 600 migrants in Albanian facilities, whereby the project offers space for up to 3,000 people and Italy costs around 850 million euros.

The project and its controversy

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has signed a deal with Edi Rama to create an arrival center and a refugee camp for up to 3,000 boat refugees. Details of the project were agreed in a private meeting in summer 2023 and further negotiated. According to bazonline.ch Italy will cover the running costs of 16.5 million euros annually for the five-year project.

However, this plan encounters resistance both in Italy and Albania. Critics in Italy described the project as "Italian Guantánamo". Socialists also expressed concerns about Rama's decision in the European Parliament. In Albania there is social resistance to the establishment of these migrant centers, while the initiative in other European countries and EU bodies is seen as a possible solution to the migration problem. The challenges and concerns regarding human rights are of central importance.

background to European asylum policy

European asylum policy is currently considering considerable challenges, especially in view of the rapidly increasing asylum applications in the EU, which will be over one million in 2023. The discussion about the so -called commonality of asylum policy is accompanied by an increasing encouragement for right -wing populist parties that demand more restrictive migration policy. Political actors in the middle are increasingly relying on the "externalization" of asylum policy in order to shift the procedures to countries outside the EU. The Italy-Albania agreement is viewed here as a turning point. According to bpb.de, legal and ethical concerns regarding compliance with human rights and international law are unmistakable, and there are significant risks in the return of rejected rejected Asylum seekers.

This is the question of many observers: Will the new migration policy, which is taken by Italy and Albania, actually help to reduce the number of applications in Europe, or will it only lead to a shift in migration routes? The answer to this question has not yet been determined and will be discussed in the coming months.