Europe is going back centuries: After Sunak and Meloni, more and more people are discussing the solution of immigrant “colonies” in third countries

File Photo epa11284129 A man photographs a list of nearly 50,000 documented deaths of refugees and migrants due to the restrictive policies of “Fortress Europe”, during a protest against the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (not pictured) in front of the Italian embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, 17 April 2024. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA

The interest of several EU member states in the agreement between London and Rwanda, with the aim of delegating part of the management of migrant arrivals to the African country, points out a report by Les Echos.

Journalist Vincent Collen observes that the idea of outsourcing asylum application procedures to a third country is gaining ground within the 27 and some initiatives are starting to be implemented… much to the dismay of NGOs and lawyers, who fear a decline in respect for human rights.

However, Helena Hahn, research associate at the European Policy Center, recalls that “the idea is not new”, as “plans have seen the light of day since the 2000s, but it is gaining ground at the moment, despite the great legal and political complexity’. At the same time he draws attention to the fact that “every project is different and none go as far as the British agreement with Rwanda at the moment”.

According to the journalist, the most successful agreement is the one just finalized between Giorgia Meloni and Edi Rama, for the transfer of some migrants, intercepted at sea by the Italian coast guard, to closed centers, under Italian jurisdiction, to be built in Albania .

For Helena Hahn, “it is simply a transfer of an Italian process to foreign soil, with the government’s main objective to prevent asylum seekers from trying to reach Italy.” “It is above all a political gesture, aimed at Italian public opinion. Only a small percentage of migrants will be redirected to Albania, which is not likely to change the situation,” adds Jérôme Vignon, migration policy expert at the Jacques-Delors Institute.

“In theory, the Italian-Albanian agreement respects European and international law, because it is a transfer to another territory, but Italian law applies,” notes Andreina De Leo, a researcher at Maastricht University, adding at the same time: “In practice, in my view, it will be difficult to apply the same rights as on Italian soil.”

Italy is not the only one, the journalist emphasizes, referring to the German government’s announcement, that is “examining” the matter, under pressure from the liberal FDP, which is part of the ruling coalition, but also in Austria and Denmark, although, as he observes, their plans have yet to lead to anything concrete. He considers it a sign of the times that the European People’s Party included outsourcing in its new program, which was adopted ahead of the European elections.

Les Echos [Gestion des migrants : la tentation croissante de l’externalisation]

Shame, says Liberation

“Shame” Migration agreement between Italy and Albania: the European Union towards the outsourcing of asylum applications” is the title of a report by Liberation signed by Kilian Bigogne, according to which from May 20 three migrant reception centers under Italian management are expected to operate in Albania, where they will examine the asylum applications of migrants shipwrecked in the Mediterranean and intercepted by the Italian authorities, while, it is noted, people rescued by NGOs are not covered by this system. An outsourcing policy that attracts the interest of many European countries, as reported by the editor.

The agreement signed on November 6, 2023 between Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and her Albanian socialist counterpart, Edi Rama, was inspired by the policy of outsourcing asylum application procedures initiated in recent years by various British Conservative governments and which took concrete form on Monday night with the passing of a law under the head of the British government, Rishi Sunak. The three elected representatives met in December 2023 to demonstrate their convergence in the fight against immigration, laying the groundwork for a possible contagion within the European Union, the newspaper comments. [..]

The relocation of the processing of asylum applications by the Italian authorities will start from the port of Shëngjin, in the northern part of Albania, where the disembarkation and identification procedures will take place. They will then head to the former military base of Gjadër, 20 kilometers away. A first center for reception procedures and the initial screening of asylum seekers will be created there.

Those who are likely to arrive in Italy, who will undergo a check of the conditions for the recognition of international protection, will then be accommodated in a second center while their file is drawn up. The third will serve as a detention center for those whose applications are rejected, before being sent back to their country of origin. In total, the three facilities will be able to accommodate up to 3,000 people. [..] These centers will be managed under Italian and not Albanian law, which has reassured some of the conservative opposition in Albania.

It is noted that this new policy of automatic detention has been described as a “disgrace” by Amnesty International, which has also expressed its concern about the living conditions there, while for the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC), the agreement is “inhuman “. The far-right government assures that medical facilities will be set up and that migrants will receive legal assistance from representatives of international organizations, including the European Union, in accordance with Italian, Albanian and European law.

The deal has been heavily criticized by opposition parties in both countries and raised concerns among NGOs, but is highly regarded by several European leaders, the report then adds. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen described her as “a model […] off the beaten track”. Her group in the European Parliament, the conservative EPP, openly supported this model. To cope with the increase in asylum applications, other European countries could follow the example of this outsourcing scheme, in cooperation with countries wishing to join the European Union, such as Albania.

Denmark, which for a time was hesitant to enter into a partnership with Rwanda, but also Austria and Germany, have expressed interest in this kind of project.

Liberation [«Honte» – Accord migratoire entre l’Italie et l’Albanie : l’Union européenne vers l’externalisation de la demande d’asile]

Another step towards our inhumanity

Besides, in the editorial of the newspaper Liberation, Alexandra Schwartzbrod characterizes “Moral bankruptcy of Europe”, the passing of the law in Great Britain, which allows the deportation from the British territory of the refugees in Rwanda.

In her view, this shows the degree of “inhumanity” of some states when they feel attacked by women and men seeking to escape poverty and war. But above all, it shows, as he points out, the abyss into which the Conservative Party is sinking, which not only lied to the British people to get them to approve a Brexit that many of them now regret, but which continues to insist on transforming the United Kingdom into a fortress, the better to reign in what is left of his power.

All this makes no sense, especially when you imagine how much could be done to improve the lives of Britons and migrants with the estimated €337m this project costs, before the first plane even takes off, he notes.

He finds the British lack of response to the law more regrettable, but more worryingly, that Europe itself is also increasingly tempted to erect walls against immigrants. According to her, the greatest danger is the progressive loss, through anesthetization, of all the values that unite Europeans.

Liberation [L’accord d’expulsion de migrants entre le Royaume-Uni et le Rwanda, un pas de plus vers notre inhumanité]