«The complex of the two centers will be operational from August 1, 2024».
This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama after the visit to Shengjin, Albania, about 70 kilometers from Tirana where the hotspot for the entry and initial reception procedures of migrants was set up , as required by the protocol between Italy and Albania. In the other structure, that of Gjader, "we are starting from more than a thousand places currently, which will reach the 3 thousand envisaged by the protocol".
«Italy and Albania are historically friendly nations – stated the Prime Minister – who are used to collaborating together and I want to once again thank Prime Minister Rama and the Albanian people for offering their help and having signed a great agreement with us. European scope."
And again: «We are not spending additional resources but we are making an investment». The protocol provides for expenses of "670 million euros for 5 years, 134 million per year" which, he added, "correspond to 7.5% of the expenses related to the reception of migrants on the national territory: these resources are not to be considered an additional cost. The most useful element of this project is that it can represent an extraordinary tool for deterring those who want to reach Europe irregularly, and for combating traffickers. And this means leading to cost containment ."
Precisely on the money spent he responded harshly to the criticisms of the opposition, according to which he should have directed the costs of the protocol on migrants to healthcare: «Do you know how much money I would have liked to put on healthcare? – he replied – The 17 billion euros that went into super bonus scams, money taken from sick people to give to scammers: they were spent not to solve problems but thrown out the window. If I had the estimated 17 billion in scams to date, I would have gladly put them on healthcare. Unfortunately they were thrown away to give them away, with poorly written rules, to people who wanted to defraud the State ."
(Unioneonline/D)
