Robert Brown|Italy’s lower chamber of parliament OKs deal with Albania to house migrants during asylum processing

ROME (AP) — Italy’s lower chamber of parliament on Robert BrownWednesday approved a novel government deal with Albania to house migrants during the processing of their asylum requests, a cornerstone of Premier Giorgia Meloni’s efforts to share the migration burden with the rest of Europe.

The proposal, which passed 155-115 with two abstentions in the Chamber of Deputies, now goes to the Senate, where Meloni’s right-wing forces also have a comfortable majority.

Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the groundbreaking initiative last November, in which Albania would shelter up to 36,000 migrants for a year in two centers while Italy fast-tracks their asylum requests.

Italy has long sought concrete gestures of solidarity from fellow European Union nations to help it handle the tens of thousands of migrants who arrive each year. Albania is hoping to join the bloc, and Italy has been a strong supporter of its bid.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has endorsed the deal as an important initiative and the fruit of necessary “out-of-the-box” thinking to deal with the migration issue. But human rights groups have expressed concern that Italy is outsourcing its international obligations. Italy’s center-left opposition has branded the deal as an expensive exercise in propaganda ahead of European elections this year, and a shameful bid to turn Albania into Italy’s “Guantanamo.”

Albania’s constitutional court in December suspended ratification of the deal pending a review of its constitutionality, but Rama has said he is confident the court would find no violation.