Three important European states have repeatedly stressed recently that Albanian asylum seekers are turning into a serious problem in Europe. The Netherlands, Germany and France through their ambassadors, public order institutions or information initiatives have continuously informed the Albanians willing to seek asylum in these countries that this is not a solution, as no request is accepted.

A few days ago French authorities expressed their concern about Albanian asylum seekers on view of the fact that they are facing a very difficult situation. The special refugee centers opened in this country can�t accommodate any more people as they are already overburdened.

The French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb is expected to visit Albania next month to talk to the government about the possibilities to prevent the departure of Albanians asylum-seekers to France.

Meantime the German Ambassador in Albania, Suzanne Schutz, declared during an interview one day ago that 100% of Albanian asylum applications in Germany are rejected as Albania is classified as a safe country of origin.

The Netherlands is another European country which has raised the concern of increasing the number of Albanian asylum seekers. The Netherlands is so far the country that has taken more concrete measures to stop Albanian asylum seekers.


Legally there is a possibility for these countries to ask the European Commission to suspend the visas liberalization for Albania.

The suspension mechanism for visa liberalization agreements, including that with Albania, is regulated by EU Regulation 1289/2013. Under this regulation, the exemption from the visa regime for a third country may be temporarily suspended when it comes to "an emergency situation". Such a situation may arise because of the sudden rise of irregular migrants, asylum applications or rejected requests for readmission.