Top EU official lauds Italy-Albania migration deal but a court and a rights commissioner have doubts

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union official has praised an agreement that would see Albania host thousands of migrants picked up at sea and transferred there by the Italian authorities. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s approval comes just as the Albanian Constitutional Court held up  the deal while legal concerns are considered. A European human rights commissioner also has doubts. In a letter to EU leaders meeting Thursday, von der Leyen described it as a good example of “out-of-the-box thinking, based on fair sharing of responsibilities with third countries in line with obligations under EU and international law.”