Italy sends 1st migrant group to Albania

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has endorsed the controversial "return hubs" for asylum-seekers just as the first group of migrants, sent by Italy, arrived at a newly opened offshore processing center in Albania on Wednesday morning.

The first group of 16 men from Bangladesh and Egypt were transported by an Italian navy ship to the Albanian port of Shengjin, according to Italy's Interior Ministry. It is part of a plan to process thousands of asylum-seekers outside Italy's borders, with most making the journey across international waters from the North African coast.

The processing centers, viewed by many as detention centers, are part of an agreement signed in November by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama. Meloni, who won her election two years ago by pledging to be tough on migration, touted the move as "a good example" to follow.

"It's a new, courageous, unprecedented path, but one that perfectly reflects the European spirit and has everything it takes to be followed with other non-EU nations," she said on Tuesday.

In a letter to European Union leaders ahead of their summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, von der Leyen voiced her support for the offshore processing centers.

"We should continue to explore possible ways forward regarding the idea of developing return hubs outside the union, especially given a new legislative proposal on return," she wrote in the seven-page letter seen by the media on Monday evening.

"With the start of operations of the Italy-Albania protocol, we will also be able to draw lessons from this experience in practice."

According to the European Union Agency for Asylum, EU member states received 1.14 million asylum applications last year, an 18 percent increase year-on-year.

At a news briefing on Tuesday, European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said von der Leyen's letter aims to address the issue by focusing on the legislative and action aspects.

"Now of course, it is up for the leaders to discuss the way forward based on the letter the president has sent," he said, referring to the upcoming EU summit.

The letter was signed on the same day the commission warned Poland that its announced plan of a "temporary territory suspension of the right to asylum" goes against EU laws.

The latest moves by Italy and von der Leyen have drawn sharp criticism from EU political parties and human rights organizations.

"Those backing @vonderleyen's migration policy are enabling her dangerous drift to the far right," said The Left in the European Parliament on Tuesday on X.

"Now she wants 'return hubs'? Hypocrisy! They talk immigration all day but ignore the real causes. No one flees home for fun. Peace stops forced migration, not walls and camps!"

European Greens said "the new 'migration plan' from the EU Commission is undermining the right to asylum & institutionalizing the inhumane treatment of people seeking safety & protection".

In July, Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International's European Institutions Office, criticized Italy's planned opening of two detention centers in Albania.

"It's shameful that despite all the criticism and concerns raised by human rights bodies, the Italian government decided to go ahead with this agreement. Not only is the plan incredibly harmful, it is also unlawful," Geddie said.

"These centers represent the latest attempt by an EU country to circumvent their obligations under EU and international law by 'externalizing'or shifting the processing of people's protection claims outside of their territory."

She called on the new EU leadership to "firmly reject attempts to offshore the processing of asylum claims".

Migration has become a contentious issue for EU member states, with the Netherlands and Hungary seeking to opt out of the bloc's asylum and migration rules while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez extended welcome.

"Spain needs to choose between being an open and prosperous country or a closed-off, poor country," Sanchez told the Spanish parliament last week.