The Albanian Parliament approved a migration agreement with Italy on Thursday, allowing Rome to establish two centers in the Balkan country to accommodate migrants and review asylum applications. Seventy-seven deputies in the 140-seat parliament voted in favor of the agreement, which was announced in November. Under this agreement, Italy, an EU member, will open two camps on the Adriatic Sea in Albania, which is not an EU member.
One camp will assess migrants upon their arrival, while the other will host them during the processing of their asylum applications. Afterward, either the migrants will be allowed to enter Italy or they will be returned to their home countries.
Members of the opposition Democratic Party contested the agreement in the Albanian Constitutional Court, arguing that it violates the constitution by transferring territory and state authority to another country. The Constitutional Court rejected these claims and approved the agreement last month. Brussels stated that the Italian plans do not violate EU law.
