On 3 December, Ambassador Dastid Koreshi, Permanent Representative of Albania to the Council of Europe, signed the European Agreement on the Abolition of Visas for Refugees.

The Agreement aims to facilitate travel for refugees residing in territory of Parties. To this end, it provides that refugees may enter without visas on the territory of all Parties for a maximum of 3 months, but does not apply to persons in paid employment. It sets out also that the refugees shall be re-admitted at any time to the territory of the Party by whose authorities a travel document was issued, at the simple request of the other Party.

This signature marks another step forward in Albania’s cooperation with the Council of Europe in the field of human rights, migration and refugee protection.

The signing ceremony at the Council of Europe headquarters was attended by Jörg Polakiewicz, Director of Legal Advice and Public International Law Council of Europe (DLAPIL), and Nikos Sitaropoulos, Head of the Council of Europe Division on Migration and Refugees.

With this signature, the Agreement has now been signed by 25 Council of Europe member states. It has entered into force in 22 countries.