On the sidelines of a rancorous EU meeting in Brussels on the migration crisis, politicians’ talk of opening processing centres in Albania continues to fuel political tensions there.
The European Union faces a fresh crisis over the handling of migration policy after Sunday evening’s meeting of 16 EU leaders failed to reach any agreement.
Meanwhile, outside the meeting, discussion by politicians in Austria, Germany and elsewhere about opening processing centres for migrants and refugees in Albania among other countries is fuelling political tensions in that country.
Amid fierce Franco-Italian arguments over which country should take in more migrants and refugees rescued in the Mediterranean, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would support more bilateral or trilateral agreements if a European-wide solution proves impossible.
Merkel faces serious political difficulties at home in her coalition government over calls by her Interior Minister, Horst Seehofer, for Germany to turn back migrants and refugees at Germany’s borders.
Italy’s 10-point solution for the crisis meanwhile includes opening “centres of acceptance in more European countries” for those rescued at the Mediterranean Sea, to reduce the burden on Italy and Spain.
In the meantime, outside the summit, calls for Albania to host holding centres continue to be heard.
Austrian government spokesman Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal told Deutsche Welle that his country is already negotiating with Albania on the idea.
Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament, told German media that camps should be established “outside the EU” in countries like Albania, Macedonia or in North Africa.
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