Schlein says Albania centres causing financial damage

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 18 - Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein on Friday said the two new migrant processing centres set up by Italy in Albania costing some 800 million euros were causing financial damage to the State's coffers.
    She also denied Premier Giorgia Meloni's claim, echoed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders, that the Italy-Albania migrant scheme could prove to be a model for others to emulate.
    "Shame! Far from being a model: the agreement made with Albania is an illegal agreement, an agreement that violates international law. I thank the (leftwing) parliamentarians who yesterday went to the center (to protest)," said Schlein.
    The European Court of Justice recently ruled that Egypt and Bangladesh are not safe countries - the basis of a Friday ruling, which infuriated the government, not to uphold detention warrants for the first 12 migrants sent to one of the two new centres.
    "The entire mechanism," Schlein added, "is not sustainable.
    "It is 800 million wasted that could have been used for healthcare.
    "This is causing financial damage to the State". (ANSA).