EU/Albania status agreement on actions carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in Albania

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted the recommendation by Bodil VALERO (Greens/EFA, SE) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Status Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Albania on actions carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in the Republic of Albania.

As a reminder, the aim of the proposed Council Decision is to approve the Status Agreement between the European Union and Albania on actions carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in Albania as foreseen in the Regulation (EU) 2016/1624 on the European Border and Coast Guard.

The concept of a Status Agreement is to provide a legally binding framework for the operations of the Agency where team members with executive powers would be deployed to the territory of the third country. It shall cover all aspects that are necessary for carrying out the actions of the Agency in third countries.

Furthermore, it shall set out the scope of the operation, civil and criminal liability and the tasks and powers of the deployed members of the teams. The Status Agreements shall also guarantee the full respect of fundamental rights and the establishment of dedicated complaints mechanisms to be used in case of fundamental rights violations during these operations.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the Agreement.