Remarks by Commissioner Avramopoulos following the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs, Tirana 4-5/10/2018

Dear all,

It is a pleasure to be in Tirana, and to be reunited once again with our Western Balkan partners.

I wish to thank Minister Fatmir Xhafaj for hosting us in Tirana and Minister Kickl for chairing this meeting.

Today’s ministerial was an important one with several concrete deliverables in the area of migration, borders and security – and another proof of our ever-increasing cooperation.

The last few years have brought the European Union and the Western Balkans closer together, deepening longstanding ties and relationships across our European continent.

We have been meeting a lot recently, which shows our common determination to face the security and migration challenges together.

The migration picture is continuously changing, and we must remain vigilant and constantly adapt our joint response to new developments.

Building on the Western Balkans Strategy, we need to continue working together to: reduce irregular migration, tackle the smuggling of migrants and fight abuses of our migration and asylum systems- secure our borders and improve cooperation on return and readmission – but at the same time safeguard mobility and legal pathways for bonafide travellers.

Today we have achieved another milestone when it comes to cooperation on border management.

We have now signed the first ever status agreement with a third country – Albania – which will allow the European Border and Coast Guard Agency to deploy teams on its territory.

I want to congratulate Albania for being a frontrunner in the region and beyond.

This status agreement represents a huge milestone in our cooperation and will help us better manage irregular migration and further enhance security at the EU’s external borders.

Agency teams will for example be able to: perform border checks at border crossing points, and patrol along the borders together with Albanian border guards.

Let me stress that the European Border and Coast Guard is there to support Albanian border guards, not to replace or take over their duties and competences.

I hope that it will serve as a positive example and model for our work with all the other Western Balkan partners.

We have also discussed how to increase efforts in the region to further reduce irregular migration and smuggling, and the EU and its agencies are ready to support the endeavours and cooperation of our partners on the ground.

I have also reminded our partners about the importance of not only limiting asylum abuses but also aligning their visa policies with the EU’s in order not to jeopardize visa-free mobility towards the EU.

We will be presenting our second visa suspension report before the end of the year, and assessing the state of play of all countries concerned.

When it comes to security, the EU will continue to support the Western Balkans in strengthening their capacity to fight terrorism and violent extremism.

Guaranteeing security for our citizens means dealing with threats that transcend borders.

We will continue to step up information exchange among all competent security services, with the support of EU Agencies.

The political will and commitment is there – now we have to translate it into concrete actions on the ground.

I am therefore very pleased that today we signed the Joint EU–Western Balkans Action Plan on Counter-Terrorism.

The Action Plan sets out concrete objectives and steps over the next two years in countering terrorism and preventing radicalisation: for the Western Balkan partners, individually but also regionally, and for appropriate and targeted EU support.

This includes effective information exchange and operational cooperation. 

The Action Plan is a big step forward for our common security, and that of our citizens.

The EU will follow-up with each Western Balkans partner on tailor-made priority actions.

We will also build on existing networks of cooperation — for example the new Regional Network of Coordinators for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.

What matters now is swift implementation on the ground.

Finally, security is broader than only countering terrorism.

Today, Albania and the EU drugs agency also initialled working arrangements for cooperation on drugs.

These working arrangements will allow for stronger involvement from the Albanian authorities in our joint work to tackle the drugs problem in Albania, and in the Western Balkans region more broadly.

This will not only be of relevance for the health of our citizens, but also their overall security, as we all know the links between drugs and organised crime networks, sometimes even terrorist ones.

Dear friends,

The challenges of migration and security require comprehensive solutions at all fronts and close cooperation with all EU’s partners.

As regards the issue of disembarkation, I want once more to remind that the European Commission has put forward a concept paper on disembarkation immediately after the June Council.

The EU is looking for strengthened cooperation and coordination among countries on both sides of the Mediterranean, as we have a collective responsibility to stop the loss of life, criminal smugglers and to reduce irregular pathways.

We expect these discussions, now being steered by the Austrian presidency to continue in the months to come.

The European Commission believes that we need a partnership with Africa and on equal footing.

I have repeatedly discussed this with colleagues on both sided of the Mediterranean.  

We cannot impose camps on our African partners – and we will not.  

But let me focus again on our meeting.

Today, I have reminded my colleagues here that the Western Balkans have an ally and friend in me.

I will continue to fully support the efforts of all our Western Balkan partners in better managing migration, securing borders and fighting terrorism and increasing security.

Ultimately, this is about building a common and prosperous space for our citizens, and taking further steps in our shared European path.

Thank you very much for your attention.