Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday hailed a controversial deal to send migrants for processing in Albania as “courageous”, saying Rome was setting a “good example” for other countries.
Italy is the first country in the European Union to create processing centres outside the bloc for migrants arriving at its borders.
“It is a new, courageous, unprecedented path, but one that perfectly reflects the European spirit and has everything it takes to be followed also with other non-EU nations,” Meloni told Italy’s Senate.
She was speaking a day after the first group of migrants to be transferred to Albania left Italy despite strong criticism from human rights groups.
“Italy has set a good example,” the far-right leader insisted.
At an EU leaders summit later this week in Brussels, “an informal meeting will be held at Italy’s initiative between the member states most interested in the migration issue”, Meloni said.
