Europe’s top court has ruled against Italy, dealing a blow to its migration policy that aimed to send asylum seekers to Albania. The decision weakens the government’s approach to combating mass illegal immigration and defending national borders.
Italy had used Albania as a “safe country” to fast-track the asylum claims of migrants rescued at sea. However, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has now questioned the legitimacy of this practice, citing issues with European Union law.
The court ruled that Italy is authorized to reject asylum applications from countries on the “safe” list, but also warned that such designations should meet strict legal standards and allow for access and challenge by applicants and courts. This effectively agrees with Italian judges who had raised concerns about the designation of countries as “safe”.
The ruling has been hailed as a victory by lawyers and human rights groups, who argued that Italy’s approach was flawed from the start. Dario Belluccio, a lawyer who represented one of the Bangladeshi asylum seekers in the case, said the decision had effectively killed off the Albanian migrant camps scheme.
The ECJ also noted that a country may not be classified as “safe” if it does not offer adequate protection to its entire population. This means that Italy’s decision to send migrants to Albania may be challenged by European courts in the future.
Despite this setback, Italy’s overall efforts to curb undocumented migration by sea have been more successful. The number of migrant arrivals by sea has sharply decreased from 2023, with only 36,557 recorded so far this year compared to 89,165 last year.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/eu-court-rules-against-italy-albania-migrant-camps-scheme-2025-08-01