The European Parliament endorsed the report by Mrs Anna KARAMANOU (PES, Gr) on the draft action plan for Albania and neighbouring regions. It welcomes the fact that this draft report considers both the economic and the social causes of the migration in its analysis. It especially endorses the specific measures in the areas of asylum and migration to which the Action Plan refers and other topics in the sphere of justice and home affairs.
On the other hand, the Parliament is concerned at the precarious situation in Albania, namely the political instability and the failure to respect laws.
The Parliament stresses that, while the Action Plan focuses on measures to curb immigration from Albania to the EU, these measures are not combined with measures on legal protection and basic economic and social security for immigrants and refugees in Albania. As immigration is influenced by many political, historical, social and economic factors, unlawful entry into the EU should not in itself be considered a criminal act. It is stressed that many refugees and asylum seekers often have no choice other than unlawful entry.
The Parliament has also stressed the need for the Albanian government to strengthen democracy and is calling for the rights of minorities to be respected. It calls for the adoption of legislative measures particularly regarding immigration from Albania and the neighbouring region. Moreover, the Parliament calls for the establishment of the dialogue between European officials and the central and local authorities of Albania, in cooperation with the Council of Europe and with Italy and Greece, the main EU countries who suffer the consequences of Albania's instability.
Lastly, the Member States are called upon to apply legislative measures designed for the readmission to Albania of persons whom asylum applications have been rejected and to ensure that the administrative structures responsible for examining their application and substantially strengthened.�