Interpol deals blow to trafficking and smuggling rings in Balkans
Over 200 suspected traffickers and migrant smugglers have been arrested in an Interpol-led operation. Victims of the rings came from 14 different countries.
Albania
Even in the EU, children suffer in immigration detention
A global study by the United Nations has called on countries to end the detention of child migrants. Hundreds of thousands of children are held in immigration detention in more than 80 countries worldwide. The study claims this violates children's rights and does serious harm to their physical and mental health.
Germany has deported 17,000 people so far in 2019
Since the beginning of the year, Germany has deported nearly 17,000 people. The vast majority of them were moved to to EU countries, following the Dublin Regulation.
Albanian ship rescues 111 migrants in Aegean water
Albania's Defense Ministry said that one of its ships in the Aegean Sea has rescued 111 migrants. The migrants were trying to cross into Greece from Turkey and have since been handed over to Turkish authorities.
European police on Albania border to stem migrant flows
Two months ago, the EU border and coastguard police Frontex deployed 50 officers to the Greek-Albanian border to intercept migrants headed north. So far, migrants have been apprehended on a daily basis, Frontex says.
Frontex operation along Albania-Greece border deemed a success
Germany’s government says the EU’s Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, has helped Albania prevent cross-border crime, among other things. The operation with 66 border guards from 12 member states was launched two months ago. It's the first time that Frontex exercises its powers in a non-EU member state.
‘Between two fires’: The vulnerabilities that increase risk of trafficking
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), human trafficking and ‘modern slavery’ is on the rise across the globe and taking on ‘horrific dimensions.’ But what kinds of factors make people vulnerable to being trafficked? A new report investigates.
EU's Frontex border force deploys teams to Albania to halt migrants
The EU's border protection agency has deployed teams to Albania to support police there in stopping illegal immigration. This is Frontex's first mission outside EU territory, with Brussels dubbing it a "game changer."
Albania-EU accord on border management comes into force
An agreement between the European Union and Albania to manage the country's borders has officially come into force. Agents from the EU border agency Frontex will be deployed there to fight irregular immigration and trafficking.
Refugees face violence, abuse on Europe's new Balkan route
It has become increasingly difficult for refugees to make their way from Greece to Central Europe. Even in the face of police violence and the risk of arrest, thousands still embark on the dangerous journey.
EU-Albania launch agreement for cooperation on border management
The European Union and Albania have signed an agreement on border management. The accord reached between the Albanian Interior Ministry and EU border agency Frontex is the first signed with a third country.
'Diciotti migrants can't be moved to Albania against will'
An association of Italian jurists has said that the migrants who reached Italy aboard the Italian coast guard ship Diciotti cannot be forced to move to Albania as the country is not part of the European Union and the European asylum system.