TIRANA (Albania), February 12 (SeeNews) – European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) on Monday initialled a draft status agreement with Albania, aiming to assist the Western Balkan country in border management in case of migratory challenges, the European Commission said.
“Once in force, the agreement will allow the Agency to provide assistance in the field of external border management and will enable European Border and Coast Guard Agency teams to be swiftly deployed on Albanian territory in case of a sudden shift in migratory flows,” the European Commission said in a press release following a meeting between EU commissioner for migration Dimitris Avramopoulos and Albania’s interior minister Fatmir Xhafaj.
Avramopoulos added that Albania is a frontrunner in the region, and the agreement will serve as a role model for similar arrangements the Commission is negotiating with other partners in the Western Balkans.
"Closer cooperation between Albania and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will allow us to be quicker and more flexible in the way we respond to any potential migratory challenges,” Avramopoulos noted.
The Commission is currently negotiating similar agreements with Serbia and Macedonia and hopes for a swift conclusion to both sets of negotiations, the statement added.
Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014 and hopes to launch membership negotiations this year.