UK Parliament Deems Most Albanian Asylum Requests Unfounded

UK Parliament Home Affairs Committee at a hearing. Print Screen from UK Parliament livestream.

The investigation report [Link], said that some of those seeking asylum are indeed in danger of being trafficked but most seem attracted to the UK by higher standards of livings there compared to Albania.

"Albania is a safe country; it is not at war and is a candidate country to join the European Union. There is no clear basis for the UK to routinely accept thousands of asylum applications from Albanian citizens," the Committee concluded.

The investigation was started late last year after a wave of Channel crossing by illegal emigrants from France to the UK caused a political storm there. In total, some 46,000 emigrants crossed the Channel dividing France from UK using small boats. Among those, it is estimated that some 12,000 to 15,000 were Albanians.

The report quoted a survey carried by Swiss Contact, an NGO, which said that 35 per cent of respondents in Kukes region in North Albania said they hoped to emigrate. Some 42 per cent "strongly agreed" with the statement that "there is no other option for the young people in my community, but to migrate abroad by all means possible".