In Gjadër, Albania, towering barbed-wire fences enclose the many migrants who dream of a better life in Italy. The village’s stunning pastoral landscape and the tranquility of the grazing sheep are now disrupted by gray buildings with small, prison-like windows. Meanwhile, in Shëngjin, Albania, another hopeful batch of Italy-bound migrants anxiously await the processing of their asylum requests. The recent Italo-Albanian migration deal has cast a shadow of uncertainty over their fates, revealing deep-seated concerns about Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government and the promise of European integration.
On November 6, 2023, Rama struck a five-year migration deal with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, allowing the Italian government to construct migrant processing facilities on Albanian soil. Meloni claimed that the deal is designed to relieve Italian processing facilities from the burdens of migration. Its true aim, however, is to deter migration from the Global South to Italy, in line with Meloni’s anti-immigration policy. The deal allows the Italian Coast Guard to relocate 3,000 male migrants from international waters to the Albanian facilities each month—women, children, and especially vulnerable migrants can only be sent to Italy. The processing facilities operate under Italian jurisdiction and are subject to the full authority of the Italian government; while Albanian security guards are also present, local authorities can only intervene in emergencies.
At first glance, the Italo-Albanian migration deal seems to be an innocuous agreement between two like-minded politicians. Rama has publicly declared his belief that Albania owes a “debt” to Italy for its generosity in accepting Albanian migrants after the fall of Enver Hoxha’s regime in the 1990s. To the Albanian public and international community, he paints the migration deal as an act of selflessness to benefit a good friend. Yet, the cunning motives underlying Rama’s agreement to the deal prove to be far from selfless. The Italo-Albanian migration deal is central to Rama’s consolidation of power in Albanian domestic politics, positioning him as the hero who will steer Albania toward EU membership. As a result, the deal brings to light the hypocrisies that permeate EU accession politics.
Rama’s power has accumulated gradually throughout his tenure as prime minister. He has held the position for three consecutive terms since the 2013 election, allowing him to cement his influence over state institutions. As of 2019, 90 percent of municipalities in Albania are under Rama’s direct control. His Socialist Party dominates the Albanian Parliament and passed the migration deal unanimously. However, Rama is a controversial figure among Albanians and has long been criticized for his undemocratic rule. Albania’s opposition factions, the largest of which is the Democratic Party, frequently denounce his corruption and alleged ties to organized crime. In the wake of the 2017 election, which kickstarted Rama’s second term, opposition leaders organized protests against voter manipulation. Similarly, the Democratic Party staged a protest in front of the main government building in October 2024, chanting, “Down with the dictatorship!” However, the Democratic Party confronts a multitude of internal conflicts, hindering its efforts to challenge Rama’s total rule.
Rama’s Socialist Party faces scrutiny not only from its political opposition but also from citizens and non-governmental organizations. A 2023 poll shows that 49 percent of Albanians disapprove of Rama’s government, highlighting widespread disaffection with the prime minister. A joint statement by the NGO Revista Shota and several other organizations echoes this discontent, condemning both Rama’s leadership and the Italo-Albanian migration deal. According to their statement, the migration deal is a continuation of the inhumanity that marks Europe’s treatment of migrants from the Global South. The NGOs describe the Italian processing facilities in Albania as “open-air prisons” that serve to control migrants through mass incarceration, forcing them into unlivable conditions. In October, Albanian activists organized a demonstration against the first Italian ship, claiming that neither Rama nor Meloni had consulted their citizens before green-lighting the deal. The demonstrators argued that the migration deal is therefore undemocratic, as many citizens in both Albania and Italy condemn the potential for human rights violations at the migration centers. They carried a large sign that read, “The European Dream Ends Here,” emphasizing the duplicity of European integration—it carries the promise of “development” and “prosperity” on the one hand yet perpetuates violations of human dignity on the other.
Activists have rightfully pointed out that Rama is making his entire country complicit in a migration scheme that could lead to serious human rights violations. As warned by the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, the diversion of migrants away from Italy to facilities that rely on private contractors hinders efforts for transparency, increasing the risk that rights violations will go unnoticed. As a result, the Italo-Albanian deal leaves migrants without advocates who can protect them from unlawful practices. Moreover, the purpose of the migrant centers is to accelerate asylum procedures, enabling those deemed ineligible to be immediately deported. However, the fast-paced process increases the risk that some migrants’ vulnerabilities will go undetected, leaving many who should be qualified to immigrate sorely out of luck.
These facts bring an important question to light: Why have these concerns about Rama’s government and the processing facilities been pushed under the rug by the international community? Evidently, the migration deal has substantially improved Rama’s position within Europe’s political sphere and has elevated his status among prominent EU leaders. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen visited Triana, Albania, in October 2024 and praised the Italo-Albanian migration deal, consequently praising the decisions of Rama’s government. She claimed the deal could serve as a model for how the European Union manages migration in the future, echoing Meloni’s statement that the deal is an innovative scheme that can be replicated using the land of other non-EU countries. The European Commission has since received 15 requests from EU nations about implementing similar migration arrangements.
As a result of the Italo-Albanian migration deal, Rama has even managed to improve his domestic reputation, despite facing staunch opposition from Albanian political parties and his own constituents. Rama portrays himself as a leader determined to secure Albania’s accession into the European Union, asserting that this path is the country’s only option—no matter how long it takes. According to a 2021 poll, 97 percent of Albanians are in favor of joining the European Union. Moreover, a 2024 opinion survey shows that 92 percent of Albanians would vote “Yes” in a referendum on EU accession, making European integration a priority for the average citizen. Rama aims to consolidate his power within Albania’s domestic politics by leveraging his newfound status within the international community, a move that will encourage a vast majority of pro-European Albanians to become tolerant of his government even if they morally disagree with his actions. With von der Leyen and powerful EU leaders by his side, Rama’s undemocratic rule in Albania is effectively safeguarded from opposition pushback and public disapproval. Despite his morally dubious character and corrupt past, along with the migration scheme’s susceptibility to human rights violations, the Italo-Albanian deal gives Rama a platform on the EU stage and drowns out the legitimate and pressing concerns raised against him from all sides.
Most importantly, Rama’s rise to the limelight highlights the facetious nature of EU accession politics. Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union highlights the values upheld by EU policies and member states, including respect for human dignity, democracy, the rule of law, and equality. It is therefore extremely problematic that EU leadership is praising a leader who is notorious for corrupt practices and authoritarian methods of control. EU accession is meant to be a merit-based process where the same criteria for membership are applied to each candidate state, including an evaluation of their adherence to EU values. However, the Italo-Albanian migration deal reveals that EU accession is less concerned with merit than with guarding the interests of wealthy European states. Above all, the deal is a geopolitical power play in which Rama is expected to offer Albania’s territory to Meloni in order to remain in the European Union’s good graces. Without any concern for the future of corruption or political stability in Albania, the Italian government is using the land of a poor, non-EU state to serve Meloni’s anti-immigration policies. A few weeks ago, Albania opened its first chapters of EU accession negotiations, while North Macedonia, a candidate state that started accession talks at the exact same time, has been left behind because of its inability to meet Bulgaria’s political demands. On the other hand, by complying with Europe’s harmful immigration management schemes and assuming Italy’s migration “burden,” Rama is praised and applauded on the international stage.
European integration should not necessitate complicity in the subjugation of migrants and potential human rights violations. If this is what it “takes” to become a European nation, then serious questions must be asked as to whether this is a worthy goal at all. The EU endorsement of the Italo-Albanian migration deal only serves to consolidate Rama’s corrupt rule and benefit a wealthy European nation at the expense of Albania’s internal prosperity and the safety of vulnerable migrants. While many pro-European Albanians may be rejoicing at recent positive developments in the EU accession process, they must consider whether a future marked by internal instability, fraud, and corruption is worth celebrating. They must picture the thousands of migrants in Gjadër and Shëngjin, trapped behind barbed-wire fences and stark gray towers, all hoping for a better future just like they are.