Italy's controversial centers for migrants in Albania were initially supposed to open "not a day beyond" May 20 of this year, the government in Rome wrote last March.

That's not happening anymore, officials say -- the facilities, located in the port cities Shengjin and Gjader, are still under construction.

In the meantime, the Italian government has published a decree declaring Bangladesh and Egypt "safe countries" for migrant repatriation.

Opening date 'too optimistic'

The planned facility in Shengjin will operate as a hotspot -- or temporary accommodation for migrants who have just arrived -- while the facility in Gjader will feature 880 beds dedicated to the identification of migrants that qualify for international protection.

In the same area, officials also intend to build a 144-bed repatriation center.

Italian military engineer staff working on the accommodation in Gjader say they need a few more months to ensure the facility is safe.

Repatriations

This week, the Italian government also declared Bangladesh and Egypt safe countries, which will theoretically make it easy for the country to repatriate irregular migrants of these nationalities.

Bangladesh is the leading nationality for migrants coming to Italy by sea.

The government also reportedly deemed Cameroon, Colombia, Perù and Sri Lanka safe.