By plane, by sea ferry or by land bus...more than 15 thousand Albanian citizens who were staying illegally in European Union countries during the past year.
Although down compared to previous years, data from the European Statistical Institute shows that Albanians continue to play the “unsuccessful asylum card.” Half of the total were rejected in neighboring countries, Greece and Italy, while the rest were distributed in Lithuania, Hungary and Germany.
"It is impossible to obtain asylum for economic reasons or for physical insecurity. We are a safe country and therefore asylum is not granted," Nirvana Deliu, a researcher on European politics, tells A2 CNN.
Eurostat data also shows that over 14,000 other Albanians were refused entry to European Union countries last year. The list is topped by citizens from Moldova, Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Kosovo.
"The reasons need to be understood. There is a lack of information on the part of citizens regarding how Schengen works or is it done consciously," says Deliu.
Data from Eurostat shows that Albanians are ranked in the “top 10 countries in the world” for the highest number of immigrants residing irregularly in one of the “union” countries. It is believed that almost 30 thousand Albanians live irregularly in the “union” countries. The figure has remained almost unchanged in the last 8 years.
So what does Albania risk from the growing number of citizens trying to stay in European countries irregularly? "It affects exactly what was discussed in 2017, when the Netherlands requested the suspension of visas with Albania," says Deliu.
In 2024, 123,655 third-country nationals were refused entry to the EU territory at one of its external borders, a slight increase of 0.3 percent compared to 2023. (A2 Televizion)
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