Until recently, Gjader, a small, remote village in northern Albania, was far more marked by emigration than immigration. Located less than 7 kilometers as the crow flies from the Adriatic coast, this village is, as is often the case in the Balkans, a string of abandoned houses. "People have all left to look for work elsewhere in Europe," said an apologetic Amarildo Pali, 26, who came from the capital, Tirana, on Wednesday, October 30 to visit his parents, the few souls who have remained in this region of advanced desertification.
For several months now, however, Gjader has been the scene of renewed activity. It was on the ruins of the old local air base, abandoned since the fall of communism in 1991, that Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni decided to erect the symbol of her highly restrictive migration policy of "outsourcing" the processing of asylum applications. At the foot of a parched hill, a brand-new wall several meters high conceals a vast holding center made of stacked containers. Powerful lighting illuminates the entire valley.
A few construction machines are still in action, but everything is supposed to be ready to house up to 3,000 migrants in these dormitories. After being rescued in the Mediterranean, the men from countries considered "safe" will be brought to this country of 2.4 million inhabitants, which is not yet part of the European Union. Their asylum claims will be processed behind these walls by the Italian authorities.
Those whose refugee status is accepted will then be transferred to the Peninsula, while those whose application is rejected will be deported directly to their country of origin. Only if the latter agrees to take them back within the maximum stay of 28 days set by the agreement signed in November 2023 between Rome and Tirana.
Father of young Amarildo, Vat Pali also acts as informal chief of the village of Kakariki, bordering the migrant center. "When we first heard about this project, we were afraid that these refugees would attack our village. But when we saw the investment made by the Italians, we stopped being afraid. With these walls, it's impossible for them to escape," said this professional engineer from his garden.
Above all, he sees the "positive impact" of the tens of millions of euros invested by the Italian government: "Quite a few people have been hired for cooking, cleaning and care services. We're talking about a salary of €1,200 a month, which is a very good salary for Albania. Not to mention the fact that Italians rent houses for €400 a month. For our remote village, this is a godsend."
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