Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed setting up centers outside the European Union for the return of irregular migrants. Her proposal came after a mass influx of migrants in the Spanish city of Ceuta.
Rome plans to sign agreements with third countries this year, aiming to launch centers by 2027 that are similar to Italy's model with Albania but financed by the EU budget.
Broad Support Within the EU
Italy's proposal is strongly supported by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, as well as Austria, the Netherlands and Germany. Previously, 22 EU countries had sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, calling for new mechanisms against irregular migration.
Among African countries, the most advanced negotiations are being conducted with Rwanda and Uganda. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also called for the establishment of similar centers, pointing to 2027 like Meloni.
Problems with the Albania Model
Under its previous agreement with Albania, Italy had set up centers abroad at its own expense and under its own jurisdiction for assessing asylum applications, detaining migrants, and carrying out deportations. However, Italian courts repeatedly blocked the detention of migrants in these centers, sending them back to Italy and challenging accelerated border procedures for nationals of safe countries.
According to Italian media, all 73 people transferred to Albania between October 2024 and January 2025 returned to Italy by court order. In a second phase from May 2025 to mid-July 2026, 685 people were transferred to the centers in Albania, but fewer than 15 percent were actually returned. The cost of one center in Gjader alone was estimated at around 50 million euros in 2025.
Meloni's initiative will be one of the main agenda items at the remote EU Home Affairs Council meeting on Tuesday. Italy will be represented at the meeting by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.
The Crisis in Ceuta
In late July, the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, on the North African coast bordering Morocco, faced a mass influx of migrants. Spain deployed additional police, gendarmerie, and military units to the area. On July 31, officials announced that 60,000 people had entered the city of around 85,000 inhabitants in a single day.
