EU’s Frontex renews joint border control deal with Albania

<p>TIRANA, Albania &mdash; The European Union’s border agency, Frontex, has renewed its agreement with non EU-member Albania to strengthen cooperation in border management, fighting cross-border crime, and returning migrants who enter the country illegally.</p>
<p>The renewed deal, signed online Wednesday due to the pandemic, comes two years after Albania became the first country that’s not a member of the 27-nation bloc where 71 officers from 20 EU countries were deployed. </p>
<p>Their mission is described as “to support local authorities with border control and combatting cross-border crime, including people-smuggling, trafficking in human beings, and terrorism.”</p>
<p>Similar agreements have been signed with fellow west-Balkan countries North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.</p>
<p>Albania is hoping to join the EU one day, and expects to start full membership talks later this year after it holds parliamentary elections next month.</p>
<p>In February, visiting EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson highly praised Albania for its work in jointly managing its borders.</p>
<p>Albania is not a preferred route for migrants, but some enter the tiny Western Balkan country to move toward Northern Europe.</p>