Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy on Tuesday heralded an agreement she had struck with Albania, a non-European Union nation, to outsource the processing and containment of migrants as a breakthrough for one of the continent’s most defining challenges.
“I believe it could become a model of cooperation between E.U.
countries in managing migration flows,” Ms. Meloni told the Rome-based daily newspaper Il Messaggero.
“I think this agreement features a bold European spirit.”But Italian politicians caught by surprise by Ms. Meloni’s announcement in Rome on Monday questioned whether the agreement — struck earlier this week with the nation across the Adriatic Sea — was legal, ethical, practical or even real.
“Before further commenting, we need to understand what exactly they want to do,” Anitta Hipper, a spokeswoman for the European Commission, said on Tuesday.
Persons:
Giorgia Meloni, “, Ms, Meloni, Anitta Hipper
Organizations:
European Union, E.U, European Commission
Locations:
Italy, Albania, European, Rome