MILAN — The Italian government, led by Premier Giorgia Meloni, announced on Monday its commitment to establish contentious migrant processing centers in Albania. These centers have remained inactive following the rejection by Italian courts to authorize the transfer of initial migrant groups.

Ministers from Meloni’s administration reiterated their intention to pursue so-called “innovative solutions” to address the ongoing migration issues, according to an official statement from her office, though no specific timeline was provided.

The statement referenced a recent ruling by Italy’s highest court, which clarified that Italian judges cannot dictate the government’s policy concerning which nations are deemed safe for the repatriation of migrants whose asylum applications have been denied. This ruling permits lower courts to evaluate each situation individually but does not establish broad national policy.

During a press conference in Finland over the weekend, Meloni remarked that the high court’s ruling validated her government’s approach to migration. The Italian government has allocated 650 million euros (approximately $675 million) to finance the operation of these centers over the span of five years. These facilities began accepting male migrants in October, with the capacity to handle up to 3,000 individuals monthly who are rescued by the Italian coast guard in international waters.

However, after two groups of migrants were transported to Albania by the Italian coast guard, they were sent back to Italy as courts failed to approve their relocation. Consequently, the Italian courts sought guidance from the European Court of Justice on designating safe countries for such repatriations. The timeline for the European court’s decision remains uncertain, with expectations that it may take several months to reach a conclusion.

The recent statement from Meloni’s office emphasized that the initiative to process migrants beyond EU borders in Albania garnered substantial support from other leaders during last week’s EU summit in Brussels. Furthermore, Italy’s hardline stance on migration was reinforced when Vice Premier Matteo Salvini was acquitted of charges related to the unlawful detention of migrants during his tenure as interior minister in August 2019.