The European Parliament approved a new regulation allowing EU member states to establish migrant return hubs in third countries, a model Italy has long championed through its controversial Albania deal. The vote passed with 389 in favour, 206 against, and 32 abstentions.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the decision as a political and personal victory. “Europe is finally moving in the right direction, along a path that Italy has strongly supported,” she wrote on social media. Members of her party emphasised that Italy’s approach has now become a blueprint for Europe.
The decision, however, comes after a complicated history in Albania. Italy’s two centres, in Shengjin and Gjadër, built at a cost exceeding €800 million over five years, have remained largely empty. Between October 2024 and January 2025, only 73 migrants were temporarily processed, with Italian courts repeatedly blocking detentions over safety concerns. An August 2025 ruling by the European Court of Justice confirmed that designating entire countries as “safe” violated EU law.
The vote signals a shift, as the upcoming EU Asylum and Migration Pact, effective June 2026, will allow member states to designate safe countries with exceptions for specific groups. While the regulation must still be negotiated and transposed into national law, it represents a significant endorsement of Italy’s externalisation model.
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