European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU could “draw lessons” from a contested Italian policy of processing migrants offshore in Albania, as leaders of the 27 member states hold an EU summit focusing on migration.
Ahead of the Brussels summit, she wrote to EU leaders to say the EU’s executive would present a new proposal for legislation to increase deportations of migrants…
Italy has begun sending some migrants to a processing centre in Albania earlier this week.
This is difficult and painful. At the same time that it’s good that the EU is recognizing that its member states have a problem and is listening to them about it, they also need to maintain the high bar of respecting refugee and asylum seeker’s human rights and ensuring that those with valid claims do make it to safety.