Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni applauded her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama during his speech at the Atreju political event organized by Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) party on Saturday (December 16). Rama assured that the agreement on migrants between Italy and Albania "has nothing unconstitutional about it."

The Italian premier also welcomed her British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, whom she described as a "friend of mine and of Italy." Sunak invoked the spirit of Margaret Thatcher's "radicalism" against irregular immigration, she said. Sunak and Meloni initiated an Italian-British co-funding project for voluntary repatriations from Tunisia.

In a matter of hours, Meloni, both at the Atreju political rally and at Palazzo Chigi (the seat of the government), bolstered a trilateral cooperation "against human traffickers" involving two non-EU countries, Albania and Great Britain.

Also read: Italy-Albania migrant agreement worries the Council of Europe

'Constitutional Court to decide much sooner than March', Rama

Rama, speaking at the Atreju event, defended the protocol between Rome and Tirana and dismissed criticism, questioning why Albanians accepting migrants should be considered a problem. The treaty is currently awaiting a decision from the Albanian Constitutional Court, with Rama explaining that the court's automatic suspension is part of the constitutional process.

Rama expects a decision much earlier than March, emphasizing the need for governments to determine whether they can proceed with the agreement.

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'First Italian-British project of assisted voluntary repatriations', Sunak

The scenario remains uncertain, although Sunak has said that he considers the creation of hotspots outside of Italy and the EU as the right choice. The agreements between Great Britain and Italy, like the one with Rwanda, aim to "interrupt the business model of criminal gangs", said the British premier during his visit to Rome.

"And if this will require to change our laws and to have conversations at an international level to create a framework on political asylum, we must do it." Sunak invoked Margaret Thatcher's resolute stance in the 1980s, thanking Meloni for her leadership on a global and international level.

Sunak warned against ignoring the immigration problem, citing Lampedusa's unsustainable situation, where 50% of immigrants arrived that year. He stressed that without effective management, the problem would escalate, leading to increased costs that would eventually anger citizens.

In response to these challenges, Sunak and the Italian premier decided to co-fund the first Italian-British project of assisted voluntary repatriations in countries of origin. This initiative, organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), reportedly aims to assist migrants stranded in Tunisia.

After the meeting, Rama joined the pair for a business lunch that ended with a pledge to "further intensify the cooperation between the three countries to fight human traffickers."