Italy-Albania migration deal could be extended beyond 2028, Rama says

Published on 3 November 2026 - 16:42 GMT+1•Updated 16:43 Italy's controversial migration deal with Albania could be extended beyond its current term if Rome wishes, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told the Euronews Enlargement Summit on Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The agreement allows Italy to transfer irregular migrants to Albania ahead of their deportation to their countries of origin, effectively outsourcing part of its migration management beyond EU borders. The deal is due for renewal in 2028, but its future could be complicated by Albania’s ambition to join the EU, which would mean the centres were no longer outside the bloc. “The deal will stay for as long as need be,” Rama said, promising to keep it in force for as long as Giorgia Meloni remains in power. “So [it could be] 2030, 2040, 2050, until she will be prime minister in Italy,” he joked. In a playful exchange with Euronews moderator Maria Tadeo, Rama added: “You want to get out a headline against my sister in Rome, I’m not going to give it to you.” The agreement, signed in 2023, runs for an initial five years and is automatically renewed for another five unless either country withdraws. It has sparked controversy in Italy over alleged violations of fundamental rights and its high costs. The two centres Italy set up in Albania are currently holding fewer than a hundred irregular migrants, according to media reports, as the Italian government does not release figures. An investigation awarded the European Parliament’s Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism found that Italy had spent approximately €1 million per person held during the first two years of operation. The facilities in Shëngjin and Gjadër were initially meant to hold asylum seekers rescued at sea while Italian authorities examined their applications. Following repeated legal setbacks, Meloni’s government repurposed the centres in March 2025 to detain irregular migrants already in Italy ahead of their deportation to their countries of origin. Rama played down the significance of the arrangement, saying it was not “such a huge deal to occupy the minds in Europe”. He pointed to recently approved EU legislation allowing member states to establish return hubs outside the bloc, with five countries now seeking similar agreements with non-EU partners. Rama added that migration remains a huge civilisational challenge for Europe, and stricter laws will not be enough to manage it. “This issue is not going away because we strengthen borders,” he said.