Albania and EU sign new border agreement

The European Union and Albania have signed a new agreement on operational cooperation in border management with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), aiming to address irregular migration, combat cross-border crime, and enhance security at the EU's external borders, the EU said on Friday.

The new agreement, which involves changes from a prior border management agreement in 2019, allows for the deployment of Frontex standing corps at the borders between Albania and its neighbouring Western Balkan countries.

The agreement is part of the EU Action Plan on the Western Balkans, which outlines strengthened cooperation with the region on border management, with the objective of mitigating irregular migration flows.

Frontex documented nearly 130,000 attempted unauthorized border crossings along all Western Balkan routes at the EU's external borders in the first eleven months of 2022, a threefold increase compared to the figures reported during the corresponding period in 2021, the EU said earlier. (SeeNews)