Meloni described the court’s decision as “surprising” and an EU judicial overreach. “Once more, the judiciary, at the European level, is overstepping its bounds into political responsibilities,” she stated.
The case involved two Bangladeshis rescued at sea and taken to an Italian detention center in Albania. They contested the rejection of their asylum applications, arguing Bangladesh’s classification as a safe country on Italy’s list was inaccurate.
The ruling affects Italy’s Albania model. In 2023, Meloni made a deal with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to handle the asylum claims of up to 30,000 migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean, with plans for two facilities in Albania.
However, the plan has faced ongoing challenges in Italian courts.
Judges rejected the detention of the first three groups of asylum-seekers sent to Albania in October and November 2024, and in February, referring to a CJEU ruling from October that required safe country of origin criteria to apply throughout a country’s territory. In these instances, Bangladesh and Egypt weren’t deemed fully safe across all areas or for all groups.
To circumvent this legal issue, the Italian government issued a decree in December designating 19 countries, including Bangladesh and Egypt, as “safe” for repatriation.
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