Albania Between Containment and Cooperation: A Laboratory for the Externalisation of European Migration Policies

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v16i2.1010

Abstract

In recent years Albania has undergone a significant transformation – from a country primarily of emigration to an active site of transit and containment within broader European migration dynamics. Since 2018, its cooperation with Frontex and, more recently, a 2023 agreement with Italy to establish migrant reception centres on Albanian soil have marked pivotal developments in the externalisation of EU border control. This article explores Albania as a case study in the shifting landscape of migration governance, employing a normative framework, secondary data, and original fieldwork – including interviews with institutional stakeholders and activists – to examine the implications for national sovereignty, international cooperation, and the protection of migrants’ rights.

Author Biographies

Shkelzen Hasanaj, University of siena

Postdoctoral researcher in General Sociology at the Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences of the University of Siena and adjunct lecturer at the University of International Studies of Rome (UNINT), member of the Laboratory on Social Inequalities at the University of Siena.

Fabio Berti, University of Siena

Professor of Sociology at the Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences of the

University of Siena

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Published

24.05.2026

How to Cite

Hasanaj, S., & Berti, F. (2026). Albania Between Containment and Cooperation: A Laboratory for the Externalisation of European Migration Policies. Italian Sociological Review, 16(2), 929. https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v16i2.1010

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Shkelzen Hasanaj, Fabio Berti

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