A migration deal between Italy and Albania took a step forward on Wednesday as the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of parliament, approved a draft law to ratify the agreement in Rome.

According to the bill, two reception centres for migrants are to be set up in Albania in order to restrict irregular migration across the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe.

The agreement must now be approved by the Italian Senate, the upper house and smaller of the two chambers of parliament.

About two months ago, Italian far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama signed a declaration of intent to set up the reception centres.

According to the plans, people who are taken on board by the authorities on the high seas en route to Italy are to be brought to these centres. Asylum applications will then be examined there and, if necessary, faster repatriations will be made possible.

The centres are to be set up in the port of Shëngjin on the Adriatic Sea. Some 3,000 people are to be accommodated there at the same time. The centres are to be managed by Italy and will be operational as early as this year.

Albania is expected to be involved in monitoring the centres. However, the Albanian Constitutional Court suspended ratification by parliament at the end of last year after 30 opposition lawmakers filed a motion to declare the migration agreement with Italy unconstitutional.

The ruling is not final. The case is currently being heard by the court and a judgement is expected on Monday.