NEWS
Albania: the CJEU opinion — "legitimate, but rights must be guaranteed"
11 June 2026 — Luxembourg
The facts
On 11 June 2026 the Advocate General of the EU Court of Justice, Laila Medina, delivered her opinion on the case of two migrants detained in the Italian centres in Albania, referred by the Rome Court of Appeal. She confirms that locating the centres in Albania is legitimate, but that compliance with the minimum standards of treatment required by EU law is not proven. It is the second opinion after the more favourable one of April 2026.
Legal comment
The Advocate General's opinion does not bind the judges: the final judgment is expected in the coming months and could overturn it. The CJEU ruling of 1 August 2025 (cases C-758/24 and C-759/24), which limited the designation of "safe countries", remains in force. The status of the Albanian scheme is therefore contested, not settled.
Implications
The centres, operational since October 2024, have sat largely empty due to judicial halts. For critics the scheme violates the right to asylum, creates an accountability void and raises a problem of sovereignty.
Sources: Eunews · Global Detention Project · InfoMigrants
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