Albania - August 2025

On 1 August, the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that while Italy (and other EU member states) may decide which countries are ‘safe’ for the return of asylum-seekers to their countries of origin, such designations must meet strict legal standards and be open to challenge with accessible evidence. The Court added that a country cannot be deemed ‘safe’ if it fails to provide adequate protection to its entire population. This comes after months of disputes between the Italian judiciary and the Italian government, as well as the transfer of migrants from Italy to costly, mostly inactive Italian-funded asylum centers in Albania, which have turned into repatriation centers. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denounced the ruling, saying it weakens efforts to curb mass illegal immigration. The future of these centres remains unclear. Amnesty International described the ruling as a major setback for the Italy-Albania deal, which they argue outsources asylum processing at the expense of migrant and refugee rights.

Sources: International IDEA, Court of Justice of the European Union, Amnesty International, Al Jazeera, Euronews Albania, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung