By Agnes Szucs
BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Union and Albania on Friday signed a deal that allows the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) to be deployed in the Western Balkans country.
“The European Union and Albania signed a new agreement on operational cooperation in border management with” Frontex, the European Commission announced in a statement.
The deal “will contribute to addressing irregular migration and cross-border crime and further enhance security at the EU's external borders,” the EU executive body explained.
The agreement that updates a deal from 2019 will allow joint operations with Albanian law enforcement organizations and the deployment of Frontex officers at Albania’s borders with other Western Balkans countries.
The Albanian parliament and EU lawmakers have yet to ratify the agreement, and the Council of the European Union also needs to give an official green light.
The EU signed a similar agreement with Montenegro earlier this year that entered into force on July 1.
The decision comes amid rising concerns in the EU about the migratory pressure.
Last week, the EU’s Agency for Asylum announced that the number of asylum applications rose by 28% to 519,000 files in the first six months of the year compared to the first half of 2022, causing a significant backlog.