In the eyes of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy's Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Albanian government could serve as a "model for collaboration between EU and non-EU countries on the issue of migration management".

Opposition parties have instead demanded that the agreement be examined by the parliament.

Despite opposition, Meloni's government is hoping to press ahead. After the signing of the agreement on November 6 in Rome, Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini described it as "a concrete and significant step. Italy is not Europe's refugee camp. Tirana has understood that and deserves sincere thanks, while Brussels does not yet" deserve the same.

Clash over need for parliamentary approval

According to what has been leaked from government circles, the agreement should not be considered an international treaty, thus potentially avoiding the need for it to be examined by parliament. "From what we have gathered, there is no need for it to pass through parliament," confirmed the head of immigration issues for Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, Sara Kelany.

She added that the bilateral agreement is based on two Italy-Albania agreements: a 1995 Friendship and Cooperation Agreement and a 2017 one on cooperation against terrorism and human trafficking.

In general, agreements - whether called conventions, accords, MoUs, etc - do not need to be ratified if they are not binding for the state and are simply available to the government for its use.

The MoU between Italy and China on the Silk Road --to cite a recent case on which there was heated debate-- was among these, according to the interpretation of the first Conte government.

Back then, in 2019, the government had the prime minister inform the two houses of parliament and then a resolution was passed by the government majority. At that time opposition groups criticized both the method and content of the agreement, similar to what is taking place today.

Opposition declares agreement 'illegitimate'

The agreement with Albania is "illegitimate at the national and international level, ineffective as a disincentive" for illegal migration and "not influential as far as reception goes: the only change is that it costs a lot more," claimed former deputy interior minister from the Democratic Party (PD) Matteo Mauri.

Mauri underscored that the "government must make the text public, if there is one", and "those regulations must pass through parliament", since "it is absolutely not true" that the two agreements signed with Tirana in the past are enough

.PD Members of the European Parliament have also filed an interrogation request with the European Commission. Piu' Europa (More Europe) has meanwhile demanded that the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani "immediately respond" before the parliament, while party secretary Riccardo Magi criticized the agreement and called the idea of implementing it without "it having the power of law" behind it "foolish".

Plan to be set in motion in spring 2024

Over the coming months agreements will be necessary to render the accord operative, with the plan to bring it into force in spring 2024, according to the timeline set by Meloni.

Rome will pay for maintaining migrant centers in Albania and staff, while security will be provided by Albanian security forces. How the migrants will be taken into care in the centers has yet to be established.

"An attempt will be made not to separate nuclear families," said Raffaele Nevi from the Forza Italia party, created by Silvio Berlusconi, and also part of the government. If an Italian Navy or Financial Police ship crosses paths with a migrant boat in the Ionian Sea, a government representative has said, it will escort it to Albania where there will be checks on the right to asylum.Then women, children and vulnerable individuals will be taken to Italy on an Italian ship.

"Those centers will not be a sieve like some in Italy," a government source told ANSA, underscoring that behind this move is a "hardline message meant to dissuade." The Italian government are also mindful that in June, Europe will go to the polls, and they are hopeful perhaps that this kind of third-country processing idea might take hold across the continent.