EU ruling torpedoes Italy’s offshore asylum scheme

On August 1, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) cast doubt on the legality of Italy’s use of a “safe countries” list to fast-track asylum procedures under its migrant transfer scheme with Albania, challenging a central element of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s migration policy.

According to foreign media, Meloni’s office called the ruling “surprising” and said it undermines efforts to combat mass illegal immigration and protect national borders, Caliber.Az reports.

The case involved two Bangladeshi migrants rescued at sea and taken to Albania, where their asylum claims were rejected on the basis that Bangladesh was deemed a “safe” country. The ECJ ruled that while EU member states can designate countries as “safe” and fast-track rejections, such classifications must meet rigorous legal standards and be open to judicial review. It also supported concerns raised by Italian judges about the lack of access to the underlying evidence for such designations.

Dario Belluccio, a lawyer for one of the migrants, said the ruling effectively dismantles the scheme. “It will not be possible to continue with what the government had envisioned,” he told Reuters.

Meloni had touted the Albania plan as a model for Europe. But from the outset, Italian courts objected, ordering the return of migrants from Albania due to EU law violations. The camps set up in Albania have remained empty for months, and a recent report found they cost seven times more than equivalent Italian facilities.

Despite legal setbacks to the Albania initiative, Italy has succeeded in reducing overall irregular sea migration compared to 2023. So far in 2025, 36,557 migrants have arrived — slightly above 2024 levels but far below the 89,165 arrivals recorded during the same period last year.

Meloni’s office warned that the ruling risks letting judges override elected officials on migration, saying: “This is a development that should concern everybody.”