EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos and Fatmir Xhafaj, Minister of Interior of the Republic of Albania, started the draft status agreement for operational cooperation between the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and Albania.
This agreement will allow the Coast Guard to assist in external border management and will enable European Border and Coast Guard Agency teams to be deployed on Albanian territory in case of a sudden shift in migratory flows.
Minister of Interior Xhafaj noted: “This is an important agreement which will help us receive qualified assistance with regard to border management. It will also allow Albania to benefit from the projects the European Union will deliver during the implementation of this agreement. This is a good opportunity for us to expand cross-border cooperation, and cooperation with EU countries. I also take this opportunity to thank the Albanian negotiating team for their professionalism in negotiating and concluding this agreement. We will immediately pursue the required procedures to start the implementation of the agreement.”
The strategy for ‘A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans’ highlights the progress made by Albania on its European path and the European future of the region. The recent agreement is the first negotiation to be concluded between the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the EU’s partners in the Western Balkans.
The agreement with Albania is now subject to be endorsed by Member States and will be formally signed at a later date. Once the Agreement is launched, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be able to perform operational activities and deploy teams in the regions of Albania that border the EU, in agreement with both the Albanian authorities and the authorities of those EU Member States bordering the area of operations.
