Parola d’ordine: esternalizzare. Trattenimenti delocalizzati, centri di asilo e rimpatrio off-shore, tra esperimenti e criticità. Over and over again

di Francesco Luigi Gatta

SOMMARIO: 1. Esternalizzare: una strategia politicamente attraente, ma giuridicamente complessa. – 2. Sistemi di gestione off-shore della migrazione: da oltre 20 anni sull’agenda dell’Ue. – 3. Il Protocollo Italia-Albania: la “prova generale” per un possibile modello europeo di esternalizzazione. – 4. Il nodo gordiano del Paese di origine sicura. – 4.1. Le diverse posizioni sulla nozione di Paese di origine sicura. – 4.2. L’udienza di Grande Sezione del 25 febbraio 2025. – 5. Considerazioni conclusive.

Public opinion in Europe shows that irregular migration is widely perceived as a problematic issue, which, however, neither the EU nor the national governments are capable of solving. Politics, thus, is coming forward with possible measures, aimed at externalizing migratory controls outside Europe. In this vein, the 2023 Italy-Albania Protocol has paved the way for future solutions at EU level. The implementation of the bilateral agreement, however, has faced many obstacles, so that, its functioning has turned out to be very problematic. Italian courts have involved the EU Court of Justice, requesting clarifications about the notion of “safe country of origin”, which is crucial for the procedures to be carried out in the Italian centres in Albania. While waiting for the judgment of the Court, the European Commission has put forward a proposal for a regulation that foresees “return hubs” in third countries, whereas the Italian government has converted the centres in Albania into return facilities: two signals that show that the European migration policy is heading towards externalization of migratory and border controls, despite their many legal issues.