TIRANA, June 4 /ATA/ Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari held an interpellation in the Parliament today with the Democratic Party MP Klevis Balliu regarding the management of migratory flows in the country.
Lamallari said that Albania is not facing any migratory crisis and is efficiently managing the flows of migrants, strengthening border capacities and international cooperation.
According to him, in 2025, Albanian authorities identified 1,926 irregular migrants. Although this represents a 25% increase over 2024, the total is still far below the major migratory waves seen in 2022 and 2023. Officials noted that most of these individuals primarily use Albania as a transit corridor toward the European Union.
The minister emphasized that illegal entries from countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka are being actively managed through readmission and voluntary return programs. Notably, asylum applications from these nations dropped from 261 in 2023 to 104 in 2024.
Speaking about human trafficking, Lamallari said that police dealt a heavy blow to organized crime in 2025. They concluded 14 national operations and one joint Europol initiative, tackling 26 human trafficking cases and prosecuting dozens of individuals.
With the backing of the EU and FRONTEX, Albania has heavily upgraded its Border Police by boosting staff by over 31% and integrating advanced drones, maritime radars, and monitoring systems. According to Lamallari, these efforts have drastically improved operational success, with nearly 90% of irregular migrants now identified in covered areas—more than double the previous rate of under 50%. /m.q/j.p/p.s./
