Italy's far-right-led government has approved a new decree that broadens the use of Albanian fast-track asylum processing centers to include repatriation hubs, aligning with a recent EU proposal.

The two Albanian centers, originally intended to process non-vulnerable migrants rescued at sea, will now also accommodate migrants who arrived in Italy, had their asylum applications denied, and have been issued deportation orders.

In a separate decree, the government introduced stricter requirements for acquiring Italian citizenship.

The Albanian centers, which opened in October, have largely remained inactive due to legal challenges and strong opposition from human rights groups, who argue they violate international laws and jeopardize migrants’ rights.

The initiative, which has cost nearly 800 million euros over five years, has disappointed Italy’s conservative government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. After lengthy construction delays, the first groups of migrants transferred to Albania in October, November, and January were quickly sent back to Italy after Italian courts refused to approve their detention in a non-EU country.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi explained in a news conference on Friday that while the new decree does not alter the terms of Italy’s agreement with Albania, it introduces new functions for the centers. "The decree changes the law that ratifies the protocol with Albania, but doesn’t alter its content, making it possible to transfer migrants from Italy to the existing repatriation center in Gjader," Piantedosi said. "This would allow us to reactivate that center, ensuring it doesn’t lose its function."

This move by Italy, which gives new life to the costly Albanian centers, follows a proposal by the European Commission in March to establish new “return hubs” in third countries for rejected asylum seekers. According to the European Commission, only 20% of deportation orders in the EU are enforced, and the "European System for Returns" aims to address this by setting a standard for all EU member states and allowing one country’s authorities to enforce another country’s deportation order. This mechanism was absent from the EU’s migration and asylum pact approved last year.

Italy is also awaiting a ruling from the European Court of Justice, expected this summer, which could allow the Albanian centers to operate as initially planned.

In a separate decree, the Italian government has also tightened rules on citizenship. Italian descendants born abroad will automatically acquire citizenship for only two generations, and only those with at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy will gain citizenship by birth. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani clarified that while many descendants of Italian emigrants will still be able to acquire citizenship, the new measures aim to prevent misuse and "commercialization" of Italian passports.

From 2014 to 2024, the number of Italian citizens living abroad grew by 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million, with over 60,000 citizenship applications currently pending.