TIRANA, Feb.8 – Disillusioned with life in Germany, increasing numbers of Albanian asylum hopefuls are voluntarily returning home. Until now the phenomenon has been mostly associated with Iraqis, but currently more and more asylum seekers from the Balkans are returning to their countries of origin, the majority of which are Albanians, writes German newsmagazine Der Spiegel.
According to Der Spiegel, hundreds of Albanian citizens leave Germany every day mainly through Frankfurt airport and the key reason behind their decision is to avoid a ban to re-enter Europe. If asylum seekers keep staying in Germany, they face deportation which is also accompanied with a re-entry ban to the Schengen area. Alongside voluntary returns, Germany has stepped up efforts to deport Albanian nationals after the country was classified as a safe country of origin last year.
German authorities have deported over a thousand Albanians in 2016 alone. About 50,000 Albanians, mostly driven by economic motivations, filed asylum claims in Germany in the past year, coming second only to Syria. Yet, poverty alone is not the only reason why Albanians are fleeing their country. Widespread corruption and a perceived lack of perspective are also cited as driving factors. Although Albania climbed 22 positions in the latest Transparency International report, it was still shown in lighter red color which indicates countries where corruption among public institutions and employees is commonplace.
In fact, Albania lagged behind all other countries in the region, except for Kosovo which has also witnessed a mass exodus of its citizens. Another survey measuring institutional confidence found out that the government, parliament and political parties in Albania all enjoy low levels of trust, which means that the majority of Albanians have lost hope in the very institutions that are responsible for improving the quality of life of their citizens. Therefore, many Albanians consider emigration as the only way to escape their country’s economic and political problems.
However, the designation of Albania as a safe country of origin makes it nearly impossible for Albanians to obtain asylum in Germany. The repatriation of economic migrants is expected to help alleviate the burden caused by an unprecedented influx of refugees escaping war zones in Syria and Iraq.
