Germany looking at Italy's migrant deal with Albania

In an effort by the European Union to stop illegal immigration, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hinted on Saturday that he was willing to examine Italy’s agreement to detain migrants in Albania. He told reporters during a briefing in Malaga, Spain, “Remember that Albania will quite soon, in our view, be a member of the EU, implying that we are talking about the question of how can we jointly solve challenges and problems within the European family.” “Such deals, that have been eyed there, are possible and we will all look at that very closely,” he stated. Rome and Albania reached a consensus on Monday to construct two camps for the reception and detention of sea migrants. Scholz and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states had reached an agreement on Tuesday on a more stringent immigration policy and increased funding for refugees. The need for a clear European migration policy, according to Scholz, is “to correct things that have not been right in the past(and) to establish a solidarity mechanism so that not each country on its own has to try and master the challenges alone.” The current European Parliament legislature ought to finish overhauling the bloc’s immigration and asylum laws, he said. Scholz added that integration should occur “soon” for six western Balkan states that were promised EU membership 20 years prior. Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine should also be considered for membership. While upholding Israel’s right to take action against Hamas, he also demanded a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in order to facilitate humanitarian aid. (With agency inputs)