Two reception centres in Lezhë, which would host illegal migrants caught in the Mediterranean by Italian vessels, will not be functional as of August 1.

The two centres, located in Shëngjin and Gjadër, were expected to start work on that date, according to what the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, had said during her visit to the camps on June 5.

However, a senior official told Euronews Albania the deadline will be missed.

The first centre situated in the port of Shëngjin, where migrants will initially arrive and have their documents assessed, will be ready to accept people as of August 15. There will be a capacity of a thousand people who will be welcomed, while work for the second camp in Gjadër is still ongoing.

The senior official confirmed that both centres will be fully operational by the start of September.

Euronews Albania had also reached out to Andrea Arnaldo, advisor to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to request an official response on whether the centres in Gjadër and Shëngjin would be functional on August 1.

Arnaldo referred Euronews Albania to the Italian Embassy in Albania as the responsible institution to get a response.

On July 30, Euronews Albania received an official response that said, “Due to the summer heatwave, it has been decided to suspend construction work in Gjadër during daytime hours to ensure the safety of workers. This may have extended the timeline, but work is being done to open the centres as soon as possible.”

Under the five-year deal signed in November 2023, Albania would shelter up to 36,000 migrants for a year, or about 3,000 a month, who try to reach Italy without proper documentation, mostly in perilous sea voyages.

Human rights groups have continuously denounced the agreement, describing it as “dehumanising”, while Amnesty International condemned it as “illegal and unworkable”. Despite criticism, the agreement was ratified by parliaments of both countries.