An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes near a tourist boat, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023.
The figure compares with the more than 145,000 sea migrants who have arrived in Italy so far this year, a sharp increase from 2022 which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government is keen to contain.
Announcing the deal with Albania on Monday, Meloni said as many as 36,000 migrants per year could pass through the Albanian camps, but hitting this target depends on how quickly Italy can process asylum applications.
The protocol states that Italy will shield Albania from any costs from legal action against the initiative.
The facilities are more than 1,000 kilometres from Lampedusa, the island where most Italy-bound sea migrants currently land.
Persons:
Yara, Giorgia Meloni's, Meloni, repatriating, Alvise, Christina Fincher
Organizations:
Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, Amnesty International, Reuters, Thomson
Locations:
Lampedusa, Italy, Albania, EU, Shëngjin