TIRANA TIMES, May 27, Albania — A growing wave of Western efforts to outsource the handling of rejected asylum seekers is turning the Western Balkans into what rights groups now describe as Europe’s “human warehouse.” At the center of the plan are proposals to build migrant detention centers in countries such as Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia — proposals that critics say are eroding human rights and entrenching a two-tiered Europe.
The policy, spearheaded by leaders like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and quietly embraced by British and EU officials, envisions the Balkan region as a holding zone for migrants deemed undesirable or unreturnable by wealthier Western states. While supporters hail the plan as a pragmatic response to rising migration numbers, human rights organizations are sounding the alarm.
“Turning the Balkans into a dumping ground for rejected asylum seekers is a grave violation of basic principles of international protection,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. “This is not migration management — it’s displacement management by proxy.”
Exporting the Problem
Italy has already begun implementing the model, using a center in Gjadër, Albania, to detain migrants intercepted at sea. According to reports, some detainees have been held under inhumane conditions, with limited access to legal aid, medical care, or oversight. The recent suicide of Hamid Badoui, a Moroccan asylum seeker held in Gjadër and later transferred to a prison in Italy, has galvanized public attention.
“Prison is better than the CPR in Gjadër. I will never go back to Albania,” Badoui reportedly told his lawyer before his death — a sentiment Amnesty International Italia said reflects “a system designed to break people.”
But despite mounting criticism, the approach appears to be gaining traction. In Kosovo, the caretaker government has expressed openness to discussing similar arrangements with the UK. “We are willing to help our ally,” said government spokesman Përparim Kryeziu, while noting that any decision would depend on institutional consensus.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia’s recent partnership agreement with the UK — publicly touted as a major economic boost — has also triggered speculation that the deal might involve hosting migrant centers. Though Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski denies this, ambiguity in the UK’s official statements has failed to quell concerns.
Meloni-Rama Model Goes Regional
The cooperation between Italian PM Meloni and Albanian PM Edi Rama is increasingly viewed as the blueprint for this regional strategy. The “Meloni-Rama model” — formalized in an agreement to detain migrants in Albania on Italy’s behalf — is being watched closely by other EU leaders facing domestic pressure to curb migration.
But the backlash is building. A recent report by Human Rights Watch documented systemic abuses in migrant facilities in Bosnia, including legal limbo, lack of transparency, and severe psychological strain. Amnesty International has echoed the concerns, warning that the expansion of such facilities would “further isolate and punish” vulnerable individuals.
“This is a system that uses fear and coercion, not law and dignity, to control migration,” Amnesty said in a statement following Badoui’s death.
From the Mediterranean to the Mountains
The geographic shift in migration control — from coastal entry points like Lampedusa to remote, less scrutinized Balkan sites — reflects what analysts call a deliberate Western strategy: keep migrants far from media, courts, and watchdogs.
“The Balkans are being used not as partners but as buffers,” said Denko Maleski, North Macedonia’s former foreign minister. “Our challenge is economic survival. Their challenge is political survival. And the two don’t align.”
The trend is not limited to Europe. According to The Wall Street Journal, the United States is also in talks with countries like Libya, Moldova, and even Mongolia to host migrants who cannot be repatriated — effectively globalizing the outsourcing model.
A Balkan Bottleneck
For now, the region’s governments are walking a fine line: tempted by foreign investment and political favor, yet wary of becoming synonymous with indefinite detention.
The question facing the Balkans is no longer whether to participate, but at what cost. As political leaders negotiate contracts, rights groups urge them not to trade legal principles for economic deals.
“The West may solve a political problem at home,” said one regional analyst, “but it risks creating a humanitarian crisis abroad.”
The post Western Powers Push to Turn Balkans into Migrant Buffer Zone, Stirring Rights Alarm appeared first on Tirana Times.
