The standoff over reception centers in Albania is intensifying. Every time the government transfers even a small group of immigrants to the center where they are supposed to await repatriation, the judiciary sends them right back to Italy through a steady stream of rulings. The result for citizens and public opinion is a tragicomic spectacle. Huge expenses go toward setting up the center, maintaining state personnel, and running ships back and forth—without achieving any concrete result.
Prime Minister Meloni insists that the government will press on, refusing to be intimidated by the judges, who in turn proceed unwaveringly, confident that they have both the law and European rights on their side. How will this end?
The government aims to accelerate judicial reform, a Gordian knot at the heart of this issue, hoping to curb the extensive power of the judiciary in Italy. However, the credibility of the Albania operation risks being undermined, even in the eyes of other European countries that were watching this experiment with interest. Giorgia Meloni doesn’t seem like the type to back down, and coincidentally, she’s receiving some support from Elon Musk, a staunch Trump ally. “Italian judges need to back off; they’re completely wrong on Albania,” says the world’s richest man, who, instead of focusing on the new American governance, takes the time to comment on a small reception center in Albania.
As Baglioni’s famous song goes, “This Little Big Love,” the oxymoron applies to politics as well. This little mess, at least at the start, risks becoming a big mess for everyone.
