The Constitutional Court of Albania announced it will reconvene next Monday to address the issue of the agreement between Albania and Italy on migrants, as the opposition, which has appealed the case, submitted additional documents.

The agreement, signed in Rome on November 6 of last year between the prime ministers of both countries, involves migrants departing from North Africa and being intercepted at sea by Italian vessels.

It envisions the establishment of a point in Shëngjin where verification procedures for migrants will take place and a center in Gjadër where they will be held in isolation until the completion of procedures for the acceptance or rejection of asylum. Italy bears full responsibility for all activities, and complete jurisdiction is recognized over the reception center.

According to the Albanian opposition, the agreement violates the country’s Constitution and international conventions. Twenty-eight Democratic Party deputies have sought its annulment from the Constitutional Court, which suspended the ratification procedures in parliament in December.

The protocol between Albania and Italy, criticized by many international human rights organizations, was approved on Wednesday by the Chamber of Deputies in the Italian Parliament, with 155 votes in favor from the right-wing majority and 115 votes against from the opposition.

Majority deputies applauded the approval of the agreement, stating that it “paves the way for new policies on migration and border protection. The protocol will ease the burden on Italy, thanks to the transfer of logistical procedures related to reception and repatriation, and will more decisively combat illegal migration flows and human trafficking,” said Tommaso Fito, head of the Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) parliamentary group, Meloni’s party.

Meanwhile, for Simona Bonafè, deputy leader of the parliamentary group of the Democratic Party, the main force of the Italian left-wing opposition, “the agreement with Albania is just an electoral spot for Meloni, paid with Italian money. In a few months, it will be clear that the agreement will not stop landings or traffickers, and migrants who have the right to stay in our country will have to return to Italy, regardless of the hundreds of millions of euros wasted”.

After the approval in the Chamber of Deputies, the issue now passes to the Italian Senate, where, again, the right-wing majority led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni holds sway.

Italy has long sought solidarity from other European Union member states regarding assistance in dealing with tens of thousands of migrants arriving in the country every year.

Albania is hoping to join the European bloc, and Italy has been a strong supporter of Tirana’s European integration.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has supported the agreement, describing it as an important initiative and a creative idea to manage the migration issue.

However, human rights groups have expressed concerns about the agreement, arguing that Italy is avoiding its international obligations. The Italian center-left opposition has called the agreement an expensive propaganda campaign by the government ahead of the upcoming European elections later this year, and a shameful attempt to turn Albania into an “Italian Guantanamo”.

Last December, the Constitutional Court of Albania suspended the ratification of the agreement, stating that it would assess the constitutionality of the pact. However, Prime Minister Edi Rama has expressed confidence that the Constitutional Court will not find any violations in this agreement.