According to the EU Commission, this is the first agreement of this kind with a third country. With the approval of this country are also possible in the future the actions of EU armed guards' defenders in the territorial area of Albanian sovereignty. The EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos described the agreement as a "cornerstone in EU external co-operation in the field of border management".
"I hope that this agreement will pave the way for strengthening cooperation with the whole Western Balkans", underlined Avramopoulos.This agreement must be approved by the EU Parliament. In the Summer such status agreements have been initialed with Macedonia and Albania. Now they have to be signed. Meanwhile, talks continue with Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 2015 and early 2016, hundreds of thousands of refugees across the Balkans from Greece have arrived in Germany and in the northern EU countries. And this ended, after urging countries to close their borders.
EU border protectors with enhanced competencies
In crisis situations, henceforth, EU border defenders can also engage in Albania, enjoying the same powers as those of local border officials who can carry weapons. Albania can also allow EU officials to "use the force in the absence of local border defenders", the agreement says. Both parties undertake to fully respect "fundamental rights and freedoms".
Frontex has since 2016 been able to be active outside the EU territory. So far this has been the case only for countries in the immediate neighborhood with the EU, either in the Western Balkans or in North Africa. In September, the EU Commission proposed that in the future it be possible for third countries as well.
Helping organizations: More and more migrants arrive in Spain
More and more migrants, meanwhile, choose the path to Spain. There the number of new arrivals from the Mediterranean has increased day by day. According to UN data, on average, 353 people per day have arrived on September. In August 225 and in the first five months of this year 54 people per day.
Spain has exceeded the Italy this year with a total of 380,000 refugees coming from Africa. On the Italian coast this year about 21,000 migrants have been deployed and 23,500 in Greece, a year earlier, the figures from the beginning of the year to the beginning of October were 107,000 in Italy, 20,000 in Greece and 12,000 in Spain.