Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns of the potential harmful impacts of the transfer of the first group of people rescued at sea to Albania

• Italy's migrant transfer strategy could jeopardise fundamental rights of people rescued at sea
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Following the announcement that Italy has begun transferring people rescued at sea to two centres it has built in Albania, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns of the potential impact of this development on survivors' well-being and access to fundamental rights.

Italy's latest strategy of outsourcing responsibilities it has towards people seeking safety could cause a worsening of the difficulties and human rights violations already faced. This development will prevent survivors from accessing proper asylum and vulnerability assessment procedures, constituting a contravention of Italy's obligations under international and European law.

The disembarkation of rescued people, considered non-vulnerable, in Albania raises important human rights issues, particularly the right to liberty, access to protection and proper asylum procedures, as well as more practical issues such as the identification of people in vulnerability and the habitability conditions of reception centres in Albania.

"We know that it's impossible to properly assess people's vulnerabilities while we're on a ship on the high seas. It's something that calls for resources that are only available on land," emphasises MSF's search and rescue representative, Juan Matias Gil.

"MSF teams working in detention centres in Europe and beyond have observed a significant impact on people's mental health resulting from the lack of freedom of movement. Prolonged and arbitrary detention continues to have severe consequences for migrants and asylum seekers," Gil adds. "People seeking safety and protection continue to be exposed to inhumane conditions at EU borders, with extremely limited access to information, appropriate services and protection."