GJADËR — A delegation of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from the Greens/EFA group was prevented from conducting a full inspection of the detention center in Gjadër, Albania. Staff at the facility refused to provide MEPs with information regarding the number of people detained, and MEPs were not permitted to access the cells.

Cristina Guarda, a Member of the European Parliament from Italy's Greens and Left Alliance (AVS), stated, "Whether they want to hide the truth about the conditions of life inside the detention centre, something is not clear." Guarda cited an official register of "critical events," revealing six attempts by people held at the center to end their lives since mid-May, along with other acts of self-harm during the same period.

Tineke Strik, a Dutch Member of the European Parliament, said, "The visit was very disappointing and disgraceful." She added, "We didn't get any data, they didn't answer any questions, and we were not allowed to really go into the cells, and see what the situation is like."

Cecilia Strada, a politician with Italy's center-left Democratic party, called on the Italian government and European Commission to explain the obstacles MEPs faced. Strada stated, "They keep telling us that human rights are and will be guaranteed in centres located in third countries." She added, "But European parliament representatives, who have the authority to enter, were ultimately unable to genuinely verify respect for those rights."

Why It Matters

The detention center in Gjadër is one of two facilities opened by Italy in Albania in 2024, the other being in Shëngjin. These centers operate under a five-year deal with the Albanian government and are intended to process asylum applications for adult men intercepted at sea by Italian government vessels. The facilities are also used for detaining refused asylum seekers pending deportation. The agreement permits a cap of 3,000 detainees at any one time, with the Italian government's original goal being to send 36,000 people to these centers annually; currently, the Gjadër facility hosts an estimated 70-80 people. The five-year deal is estimated to cost Italy €130-140m per year. Italian judges have rejected transfers to the Albanian centers, citing the unsafety of migrants' countries of origin for repatriation if asylum requests are denied. Rome's prefect office has overall responsibility for Italy's offshore migrant processing centers in Albania, which are managed by the Italian cooperative Medihospes.