Scholz Expresses Willingness to Consider Italy-Albania Agreement on Migrants

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his readiness today, Saturday, to "study an agreement made by Italy that involves detaining migrants in Albania, at a time when the European Union is trying to curb illegal immigration." Scholz stated at a press conference in Malaga, Spain: "Keep in mind that Albania will soon, from our perspective, become a member of the European Union, meaning we are discussing how we can jointly address challenges and issues within the European family." He added, "Such agreements, which have been considered there, are possible and we will all study that closely." Rome and Albania agreed on Monday to build two camps to accommodate and detain migrants arriving by sea. Scholz noted that "there is a need for a clear European approach in immigration policy to correct things that were not right in the past and to establish a mechanism of solidarity so that not every country has to try to tackle challenges on its own." He further stated that "the reform of the EU's asylum and immigration rules should be completed in the current legislative session of the European Parliament."