The European Union has given the green light to the last piece of its New Pact on Migration and Asylum, approving a regulation that will let member-states transfer rejected asylum-seekers to so-called “return hubs” in third countries. The 104-page text received the backing of national ambassadors in Brussels early on 29 March and will be rubber-stamped by ministers next week, clearing the way for the rules to enter into force on 12 June 2026. Although the new regulation is EU-wide, diplomats openly acknowledged that it borrows heavily from Italy’s 2023 protocol with Albania, under which Rome financed two detention facilities in Shengjin and Gjadër. Those centres, which currently hold around 90 migrants, will serve as a “proof of concept” for the broader European scheme, officials said. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the vote as “a victory for realism,” insisting that off-shore processing is the only credible way to discourage smugglers operating on the Central Mediterranean route. Under the regulation, any non-EU national who has received a final deportation order may be moved to a country that has signed a hosting agreement with the EU. Member-states must ensure that basic safeguards are respected, but detention can last up to 24 months for migrants who are deemed a flight-risk or who refuse to cooperate. Return decisions will be uploaded into the Schengen Information System so that an order issued in one country is automatically valid across the bloc. For Italy, the rules promise practical relief. Interior-ministry figures show that only 21 % of the 41,000 people ordered to leave Italian territory in 2025 were actually repatriated. Rome hopes that shared EU funding and mutual recognition of deportation decisions will ease the financial and administrative burden that has dogged its enforcement efforts for years. Business-traveller groups, meanwhile, are watching closely: tighter removal procedures may translate into more spot-checks at airports and stricter scrutiny of work-visa holders who move between Schengen states.
![EU finalises new deportation rules, citing Italy’s Albania ‘return-hub’ model]()
For travellers intent on staying on the right side of these tightening rules, VisaHQ can help streamline the process of securing the correct documentation. Its Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers real-time guidance on Schengen visas, work permits and compliance requirements, allowing individuals and companies to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape with confidence.
Human-rights organisations warn that the Italian model is already producing legal grey areas. During a recent visit to the Gjadër hub, Italian MPs reported confusion among detainees about their right to counsel and the appeal deadlines. NGOs fear that extending the system EU-wide could normalise prolonged extra-territorial detention and make judicial oversight even harder. The Commission insists that monitoring mechanisms will be “robust”, but admits that detailed guidance will not be ready before the pact’s start-date.
For travellers intent on staying on the right side of these tightening rules, VisaHQ can help streamline the process of securing the correct documentation. Its Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers real-time guidance on Schengen visas, work permits and compliance requirements, allowing individuals and companies to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape with confidence.
Human-rights organisations warn that the Italian model is already producing legal grey areas. During a recent visit to the Gjadër hub, Italian MPs reported confusion among detainees about their right to counsel and the appeal deadlines. NGOs fear that extending the system EU-wide could normalise prolonged extra-territorial detention and make judicial oversight even harder. The Commission insists that monitoring mechanisms will be “robust”, but admits that detailed guidance will not be ready before the pact’s start-date.
