Italian ship takes migrants to Albania in 2nd test of deal to process claims outside the EU
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An Italian naval ship carrying migrants was en route Wednesday to Albania to have asylum applications processed under a five-year deal to handle asylum claims outside the European Union’s borders that has already hit a legal roadblock. The Italian daily La Repubblica reported that out of 1,200 migrant arrivals on Italy’s southernmost island of Lampedusa over the last two days, just eight male adults traveling without families met the criteria for being screened in Albania, including that they come from countries deemed “safe” for repatriation. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni envisioned the two centers holding up to 3,000 migrants a month as a way to help Italy manage migrant arrivals on its southern shores, but human rights activists have criticized the deal as setting a dangerous precedent.