Migrants: Rome Court of Appeal raises doubts about the legitimacy of the Italy-Albania protocol

Rome, 11 March (LaPresse) – The decision of the Rome Court of Appeal reignites doubts about the legitimacy of the entire legal framework linked to the Italy-Albania protocol. In three rulings issued in February, the judges validated the detention in the CPR (Centre for Permanent Residence) in Gjader, Albania, of three Moroccan citizens seeking international protection, who had already been served with expulsion orders. However, the same reasoning contains a passage that rekindles doubts about the legitimacy of the protocol: ‘The request for validation of the detention could not have been made without this Court of Appeal questioning the legitimacy of the Italy-Albania protocol and the subsequent ratification law.’ These words come after the recent preliminary ruling referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union by the Court of Appeal itself on 5 and 17 November. This move effectively acknowledges that there are still unresolved questions surrounding the legal framework of the agreement. The three men involved, with criminal records ranging from drug trafficking to sexual assault and resisting arrest, remain detained in the Albanian centre.