Trafficking schemes are criminal and those responsible will be punished, authorities say
TIRANA, April 15 – The Interior Ministry has made another public call telling Albanians they should not apply for asylum in EU member states, because they will be immediately deported and banned from traveling in the future.
The ministry said they had noted a significant increase in the applications for new passports, and they had seen schemes from travel agencies that tell people they can get asylum in wealthy EU states, were Albanians can travel without visas.
The ministry said these schemes were criminal and those responsible would be punished.
“It is absolutely impossible to get asylum in any EU country,” the ministry said in a statement.
It also reminded Albanians to respect the requirements for travel to these countries, like having enough funding and having the documentation in case of the travel of children.
The ministry said they are cooperating with international partners to take all the measures “to prosecute any Albanian citizen who abuses with the right of traveling to Schengen area to unfairly seek political asylum.”
The local media have reported a trend in northeastern Kukes district with many people leaving the country after losing hope in finding jobs in Albania.
There had already been an increase in asylum requests from Albania this year.
During the first quarter this year there have been 3,020 asylum requests from Albanians in western European countries, the third largest group from the countries asking for asylum.
The Albanian authorities have increased the check up at the border crossing points and have turned back 750 Albanians in the last three days, for not offering the required documentation needed when traveling abroad in the Schengen area.
Both interior Minister Saimir Tahiri and German Ambassador to Tirana Helmut Hoffmann have repeatedly said that would-be migrants that travel to Germany to find work do so in vain.
Germany and other northern European countries have given blanket denials after seeing a high number of people coming from the region to seek asylum.
Most of the asylum seekers come from the region’s poorest and most marginalized communities.
The topic is worrying for Albanian officials, however, as the European Union has warned that the visa free regime may be canceled unless such number are reduced.
The European Parliament has also given the right to EU member countries to individually reinstall visa regime for any country should they think they are threatened from an influx of asylum seekers.
Albanians may stay 90 days in six months-time in most, but not all, EU countries without a visa. They are not allowed to work or draw on the social services provided by these countries. Should they break the rules, they are fined and receive a five-year travel ban.
