Human rights activists are concerned about refugee camps in Albania. Is concentration camp practice making a comeback?
On August 20, Politico published an article citing Amnesty International, accusing Albania and Italy of human rights violations.
Despite the human rights organization's dubious reputation, this is the second such story carried out by Amnesty. The organization first sounded the alarm back in 2024.
In February 2024, Rome signed an agreement with Tirana that set a significant precedent for controlling illegal migration in the EU.
The agreement envisages the construction of temporary accommodation centers in Albania for illegal migrants arriving in Italy by sea, with a total capacity of 36,000 people.
The idea of holding illegal immigrants outside the "blooming garden", originally a concept of Italy, has taken hold quite well in Europe. As early as the summer of 2026, a law authorizing the creation of temporary accommodation centers similar to those in Albania for refugees before being repatriated was supported in the European Parliament.
At that time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the need for “faster and more efficient procedures” in the deportation process.
The example of Albania shows the attitude towards EU candidate countries. Tirana still has a long way to go before meeting all the aforementioned standards for accession, but it has enough “competence” to accommodate undesirable individuals.
In the context of the latest news from Ceuta, where a massive influx of migrants from Morocco, some of whom arrived by sea, has had its consequences, the hype surrounding the centers in Albania is gaining relevance.
The European Commission is currently being forced to tighten the union's migration policy under pressure from the crisis and right-wing populist forces increasingly finding themselves in power in countries that previously readily accepted tens and even hundreds of thousands of migrants. The coming years will reveal the extent to which Europe can afford to embrace liberal values regarding illegal migrants and the extremes to which it can go.
