Italy’s scheme to offshore asylum claims should not be a model for the rest of Europe

Other leaders have expressed interest in Giorgia Meloni’s deal with Albania. But is it really a humane and effective strategy?

An Italian navy ship approaches the port of Shengjin in Albania on Wednesday carrying the first group of migrants who were intercepted in international waters and whose asylum applications will be processed in Albania instead of in Italy, under a five-year agreement between the two countries. Photo: AP/Vlasov Sulaj

There’s much interest in the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s deal with Albania to offshore asylum procedures, which started this week, in an attempt to tackle the rise of irregular migration.

Germany, which has announced new border regulations after suspected Islamist attacks and the rise of far-right anti-immigration political parties, is particularly keen to see how the arrangement works. And during a visit to Rome last month the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, praised Meloni’s efforts to reduce migration flows, saying his “government of pragmatism” sought new approaches to managing the issue.