Around 40 international organizations have sent a letter to the UK authorities, calling for Albania to be removed from the list of "safe countries" due to the large number of asylum seekers.
The letter in question lists some of the problems that are problematic in Albania, such as corruption, human trafficking, gangs or discrimination against the LGBTQI community, Roma and Egyptians.
“We would like to draw your attention to Amendment 128A, proposed by Baroness Lister and Lord Cashman, and ask for your invaluable support in addressing a critical issue within the current illegal immigration law. This bill, as it stands, would place Albania on a list of ‘safe countries’ whose citizens can be returned quickly to their home country, regardless of their individual asylum claims or human rights. The list includes EEA member states plus Switzerland.
In our opinion, the inclusion of Albania in such a list of “safe countries” is a wrong decision. Albania is not a member of the EU (it has not joined) and does not meet the necessary standards to be classified as a “safe country”. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has rightly expressed its concerns, stating: “The UNHCR is concerned that the list includes Albania, despite the guidelines published in the United Kingdom and the decisions of the British court which recognise that certain groups of Albanian citizens may be at risk of persecution.” Designating a country as a “safe country” requires confirmation that “there is generally no serious risk of persecution for citizens of that country”.
Unfortunately, Albania does not meet this criterion. The country faces serious issues such as corruption, human trafficking, gang-related violence and discrimination against different communities, including LGBTQI, Roma and Egyptian communities. The government’s continued failure to effectively address these issues is worrying. The acceptance rate of asylum claims by Albanian citizens in the UK further substantiates this claim that Albania does not meet the “safe country” standard. In 2022, the UK granted protection status to over 650 Albanian nationals, including over 60 unaccompanied children. Furthermore, the same year saw a 57% success rate for Albanians’ appeals to the first instance court for their asylum claims. Those of us who provide professional support services to Albanian asylum seekers and victims of trafficking witness first-hand the fear and suffering of the Albanian asylum-seeking community. These individuals, who are extremely vulnerable, often remain unrecognized as such by society at large. This is only exacerbated by the prevailing narratives of criminality and abuse of the asylum system that fuel strong racism. The claim that Albania is a “safe state” for its citizens is, in our experience, fundamentally flawed. It would be a misrepresentation to insist that there is no risk of persecution for nationals in this country. "By including Albania on the Clause 57 list along with EEA (European Economic Area) member states and Switzerland, we risk directly violating our international and domestic legal obligations by forcibly returning individuals to face persecution," the letter states.
