Italy will propose the creation of EU-funded detention and return centres for irregular migrants in third countries, modelled on its controversial Albania arrangement, when interior ministers convene for an emergency session on Tuesday.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi will present the plan to establish hubs modelled on facilities Italy built in the Albanian towns of Gjader and Shengjin. The preliminary list of candidate countries includes Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Montenegro. Rome will also push for strict enforcement of the GSP+ trade programme, effective January 2027, linking tariff preferences for developing nations to their cooperation on repatriation.
The emergency meeting, called after 22 member states signed a letter urging stronger border controls, follows an initiative by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen. Ministers will also address the migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Italy's Albania model has faced legal setbacks, with courts blocking transfers and Tirana signalling it will not renew the agreement.