The Gjader migrant reception center (CPR) in Albania was operational for a mere five days in 2024, costing Italian authorities €114,000 per day, according to a scathing report by ActionAid. The NGO, in collaboration with the University of Bari, analyzed the facility established under Italy’s controversial migration protocol with Albania.
ActionAid condemned the operation as “the most expensive, inhumane, and useless instrument in the history of Italian migration policies.” Their investigation found the Rome Prefecture paid €570,000 to the managing firm Medihospes for the five days of actual operation. This equated to €114,000 daily to detain 20 people between mid-October and late December 2024, all of whom were released within hours.
The report further details staggering construction costs. By the end of March 2025, the Gjader center and a non-residential structure in Shengjin provided 400 places. Contracts worth €74.2 million were signed, predominantly through direct awards without competitive bidding. This resulted in a cost of over €153,000 per available placement.
ActionAid highlights a stark contrast with costs in Italy: constructing 50 actual places at the Porto Empedocle CPR in 2024 cost €1 million, or just over €21,000 per place.
The analysis also scrutinized expenses for law enforcement personnel deployed to Albania. In 2024, accommodation and catering for police staff alone cost €528,000 during the center’s five operational days.