A bold proposal: Albania to the rescue for Sánchez

If the Italian government were even slightly shrewd, courageous, willing to go against the grain and not demagogic, it should urgently set aside the rhetoric on the suspension of Schengen – which has been revived due to the humanitarian crisis in Ceuta and the mass arrival of migrants from Morocco – and should consider a surprise move that could catch everyone off guard and steer the debate on immigration in a different direction: solidarity, pro-European sentiment, cooperation, and European treaties. The solution – bold and unconventional, yet not impossible – is called Albania, and it is not that difficult to imagine or propose.

Italy, after a series of setbacks and considerable waste of public funds, signed an agreement with Albania in November 2023 to use the centres at Gjadër and Shëngjin, located on Albanian territory and therefore outside the EU, to manage migrants subject to Italian asylum or return procedures: Shëngjin is the point of arrival and identification, whilst detention takes place in Gjadër. The Albanian arrangement is somewhat chaotic, but it aligns with the European Union’s approach: to accelerate procedures at the borders and, through the separate European reform of return procedures, to provide for the possibility of using centres in non-EU countries to expedite the return of adult irregular migrants who do not meet the requirements to remain in Europe. Meloni has a perfect political opportunity before her: to offer Spain, through a new agreement reached with Madrid and Tirana, the use of Gjadër and Shëngjin for adults who have already been identified and are subject to a final return order. Albania is a long way from Spain and also from Ceuta, of course, and Sánchez himself has declared his opposition to the use of non-EU countries to manage repatriations. But the option is there. Not the closure of Schengen, but support for Spain, legitimising the third-country model and involving Europe in the name of solidarity. What is she waiting for?