Integrated Border Management in the EU: The Albanian Experience

Albania has recently applied for EU membership following overwhelming popular support and ongoing electoral promises from both sides of the political spectrum. Consequently, Albania has had to reform not only its core legislation but has also signed various treaties with the EU in order to implement in partnership common policies and practices, in particular with regional EU members. This paper will focus on border security from the perspective of Integrated Border Management (IBM), which promotes a model/approach first introduced in the EU/Schengen in 2006, to become the standard practice in the field of border security administration. This model has recently been taken over by Albania and integrated in its legislation, strategic targets and shapes practices related to the management of its borders. Primary data were collected from the following activities: meeting with immigration officials at various levels, brainstorming sessions focusing on the key legal and institutional issues; field assessment of procedure applications and periodical monitoring. This study highlights several factors which exercise encouragement and deterring pressures, favoring and hindering legal harmonization of Albanian legislation with the IBM model. This factors include underdeveloped infrastructure which needs continuous improvement and capacity building, with regular checks and monitoring, bilateral cooperation with measures in external borders particularly related to cross-border surveillance, human trafficking, organized crime, screening and returns of irregular immigrants. While legal harmonization between Albania and the EU has to a high degree been achieved, several factors may hinder the successful implementation of the IBM model. Best practices and initiatives need maintenance and regular checks to ensure that infrastructure and capacities can respond to new border-related situations and that cross-border collaboration continues to be a guiding principle for EU and non-EU neighbours.