Italy will propose setting up new repatriation centres outside the European Union, while several member states have already identified places where they could be implemented.
Following the migration crisis in Ceuta, the European Union is expected to discuss expanding the model of migrant centers outside the territory of the union, following the example of the agreement between Italy and Albania. According to a report by Italian media, official Rome will present on Tuesday, at the extraordinary meeting of EU interior ministers, a plan for the establishment of repatriation centers in third countries, financed with European Union funds. At the heart of the proposal is the expansion of the model implemented in Gjadra and Shëngjin, creating similar structures in other countries outside the EU.
According to the report, several member states have already started identifying potential partners. Germany, Austria and the Netherlands are considering Uganda as one of the locations where these centers could be set up, while Denmark has previously developed contacts with Montenegro for a similar project.
The preliminary list of countries being discussed to host the centers also includes Ghana, Senegal, Mauritania, Uzbekistan and Ethiopia. Brussels announced that the European Commission is “ready to evaluate concrete proposals, based on strategic cooperation”, while the issue of financing remains open. During the meeting, Italy is expected to present a second proposal, related to the stricter implementation of the GSP+ mechanism, which links the trade benefits that the European Union grants to developing countries to their cooperation in the repatriation of migrants who are irregularly present on European territory.
Meanwhile, the Italian government aims to make the Gjadri center fully operational by the end of the year, which together with the structure in Shengjin forms the basis of the Italy-Albania agreement on immigration management. The debate is expected to dominate the extraordinary meeting of EU interior ministers, called after the migration crisis in Ceuta, where thousands of migrants crossed the border from Morocco into Spanish territory. (Euronews.eu)