Agreement with Britain, Çuçi: Establishment of a joint operational legal framework

“The agreement we have reached today is not something new, we have had bilateral agreements with Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 2003 regarding repatriation, but international developments with different dynamics gave rise to the need to renew this legal instrument and mainly this agreement also comes as a proposal of the British Government in the framework of its exit from the European Union.

This agreement is drafted based on the “community model”, in the spirit of respect for international agreements, in accordance with the national legislation of both countries, without prejudice to their previous commitments, based on bilateral, multilateral agreements with third countries, respecting the principles and rules of exchange of information on personal data.

With the ratification of this agreement, our two countries are committed to establishing a joint operational legal framework on the above-mentioned issues, in accordance with the requirements and norms of international law and the United Nations. Albania and the United Kingdom will strengthen cooperation between them in the fight against the phenomenon of irregular migration. Our two countries will develop technical and operational cooperation in the field of irregular migration management and internal security.

This agreement in itself is not a legislation to approximate the Albanian legislation with that of the EU, but it is in full harmony with the legislation in force domestically and internationally. Its signing is part of meeting the priorities of the Albanian government in the fight against the phenomenon of irregular migration.

Ensuring safe and orderly migration from, through, and to Albania, a phenomenon which directly affects the internal security of the country, the security of neighbors but also throughout the EU, remains one of our main objectives in the field of interior. The phenomenon of irregular immigration, as a major security threat, is clearly associated with criminal acts such as trafficking in human beings, smuggling of migrants, widespread use of forged travel documents and the movement of individuals involved in terrorist or extreme acts. violent.

In June 2019 we adopted the National Strategy for Migration and Action Plan (2019-2022), while in December 2020 the Cross-cutting Strategy of Integrated Border Management 2021-2027 was approved accompanied by an Action Plan 2021-2023. The vision and measures envisaged in these strategic documents are ambitious and through them aim to respond to the challenges and meet the identified needs.

However as I had expressed in the meeting with my counterpart in Britain a few weeks ago, where I was on an official visit, illegal immigration can never be addressed as a problem without improving the conditions of legal immigration. I asked her to review once again the treatment regime of Albanian citizens, living and working in the UK, to facilitate them in relation to new employment opportunities or seasonal movements. To be honest, I was glad to find an understanding by also expressing my homology, the commitment to do everything necessary for the integration of Albanians in Great Britain.

In the agreement that we have brought today in the Assembly, are provided the rules and principles on which the cooperation between Albania and Great Britain will be applied, the cases of cooperation upon request, but also the cases of cooperation without request, starting from the way of application for readmission, transportation costs and even the protection of personal data or actions taken in cases of erroneous readmission.

For the implementation of the Agreement, the parties will certainly conclude a protocol-implementation of it, which will set rules on the designation of competent authorities, border crossing points, exchange of contact points, conditions for accompanying returns, transit crossings of citizens of third countries and stateless persons. The agreement provides for the verification and identification of citizens subject to return / readmission, communicating any information about them, consulting the database only for the purpose of implementing this agreement.

The competent border police services of the mutual parties will follow and strengthen their cooperation in the field of management of irregular migratory situations, cooperation which will consist in the analysis of migratory flows, operational exchange of information and readmission. Best practices will be used and new practices will be established with mutual operational assistance in the field of illegal migration.

In conclusion, I am convinced that the renewal of this agreement after the exit of Great Britain from the EU, is an important bilateral instrument to address migration flows in a completely new context. “I invite all colleagues, including colleagues from the opposition, to vote on this ratification of this agreement,” said Cuci.

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