Albania Is in Europe, So It's Safe — What Immigration Courts Miss

Last updated: 15 October 2026

Photo: Motorcyclist on Albania's 100th anniversary of its independence - Timothy Krause

Immigration judges often dismiss Albanian asylum claims quickly. Their reasoning is simple: Albania is in Europe. It is an EU candidate country. Therefore, it must be safe. This is the Albania safe country myth, and it is dangerous. Being in Europe does not mean a country can protect all of its people. Being an EU candidate does not mean the rule of law works. For expert witnesses and asylum decision-makers, this assumption needs to be challenged with evidence.

Albania appears on the UK's safe country list. Several EU member states also treat it as a safe country of origin. This designation creates a presumption that Albanian asylum claims are unfounded. As a result, claims are often fast-tracked and refused. But the evidence tells a different story. Blood feuds still kill people. Domestic violence affects over half of women. Organized crime controls regions. Trafficking victims are not protected. This article examines what "safe" really means and where Albania falls short.

The "Safe Country" Designation

In the UK, Albania is listed as a safe country under Section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. This means the Home Secretary has certified that there is "in general no serious risk of persecution" in Albania. When a country is on this list, asylum claims from its nationals can be certified as "clearly unfounded." This limits the right to appeal from inside the UK.[1]

The EU uses a similar concept. Under the EU Asylum Procedures Directive (Directive 2013/32/EU), member states can designate countries as "safe countries of origin." Several EU countries, including France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, have placed Albania on their safe country lists. This designation allows for faster processing and creates a presumption that the claim is unfounded. The applicant must then prove that Albania is not safe in their specific case.[2]

The problem with this approach is that it treats safety as a binary question. A country is either safe or it is not. In reality, a country can be safe for some people and very dangerous for others. Albania may be safe for a wealthy man in Tirana. It is not safe for a woman fleeing domestic violence in a rural village. It is not safe for a family targeted by a blood feud. It is not safe for someone who refused to work for a criminal gang. The Albania safe country myth ignores this complexity.

What "Safe" Actually Requires

For a country to be genuinely safe, certain conditions must exist. International law and asylum policy require the following minimum standards. First, there must be a functioning rule of law. This means laws are applied fairly and consistently. Second, there must be effective police protection. Police must respond to crimes and protect victims. Third, the judiciary must be independent. Courts must make decisions based on law, not on political pressure or corruption. Fourth, there must be no systemic persecution of particular groups.[3]

These are not high standards. They are basic requirements for any country that claims to protect its people. The question is whether Albania meets these requirements in practice, not just on paper. As this article shows, Albania falls short in several important areas. For those working on human rights issues, the gap between Albania's laws and their enforcement is a central concern.

Reality Check: Where Albania Fails

Blood Feuds and the Kanun

The Kanun is an ancient customary law that still operates in parts of northern Albania. Under the Kanun, if a man is killed, the victim's family has the right (and the duty) to kill a male member of the killer's family. This creates cycles of revenge killing called blood feuds (gjakmarrja). Thousands of Albanian families are trapped in active blood feuds. Men and boys cannot leave their homes because they could be killed. Children cannot go to school. Families live as prisoners in their own houses.[4]

The Albanian state has been unable to stop blood feuds. Police do not intervene effectively. Courts are slow. The culture of revenge is deeply rooted in some communities. The government created a National Committee for Blood Feud Reconciliation, but it has limited resources and limited success. For families trapped in blood feuds, Albania is not a safe country.

Domestic Violence

INSTAT, Albania's national statistics agency, reports that 53% of Albanian women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. Protection orders exist but are not enforced. Women are killed despite having court orders. Police treat domestic violence as a family matter. Fines for breaching protection orders are only 250 to 400 euros. For a full analysis of this problem, see our article on protection orders in Albania.[5]

Human Trafficking

Albania is a country of origin, transit, and destination for human trafficking. Women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation. Men and boys are trafficked for forced labour. The US Department of State has kept Albania on its Tier 2 Watch List for multiple years. This means the country does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking. Victims who escape trafficking and return to Albania face a high risk of being re-trafficked.[6]

Organized Crime

Criminal networks control entire regions of Albania. They infiltrate politics, threaten witnesses, and operate with near total freedom in some areas. The EU's own progress reports document the deep links between organized crime and the Albanian state. SPAK, the special prosecution body, has made some progress, but it cannot protect individuals in their daily lives.[7]

LGBTQ+ Rights

Albania has anti-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation. However, social attitudes are hostile. A 2023 survey found that 68% of Albanians would not want a gay neighbour. LGBTQ+ people face harassment, violence, and discrimination in employment and housing. Police rarely investigate hate crimes. The law exists, but social reality makes Albania unsafe for many LGBTQ+ people.[8]

Albanian Asylum Grant Rates in Different Countries

When Courts Recognized Albania Is Not Safe

Despite the safe country designation, courts in the UK and EU have recognised that Albania is not safe for specific groups. These cases are important because they challenge the Albania safe country myth with concrete legal findings.[9]

In the UK, the Upper Tribunal has issued several country guidance cases on Albania. In TD and AD (CG) [2023] UKUT 00285, the tribunal examined the situation for victims of trafficking. It found that Albania could not guarantee the safety of returned trafficking victims. The tribunal noted that the risk of re-trafficking was real. It also found that Albanian police could not provide effective protection in all cases. This case is important because it shows that even a "safe country" can fail specific groups.[10]

Other UK cases have found risks for people in blood feuds, especially where the police have failed to intervene. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has also examined Albanian cases. While the ECtHR has not made a general finding that Albania is unsafe, it has found failures in specific cases involving domestic violence and police protection.

French courts have also granted protection to Albanian nationals in cases involving blood feuds and organized crime. These decisions show that the safe country designation is a starting point, not an end point. Every case must be assessed on its facts. For detailed guidance on how asylum claims are assessed, visit our asylum guide.

The designation of Albania as a safe country of origin does not mean that all Albanian nationals can be presumed safe. Each case must be examined individually. Particular attention must be paid to vulnerable groups, including victims of trafficking, women fleeing domestic violence, and those targeted by blood feuds or organised crime.
GREVIO / Council of Europe, Observations on Albania (2023)

How Expert Witnesses Challenge the Albania Safe Country Myth

An expert witness plays a critical role in Albanian asylum cases. When the Home Office or an immigration judge says Albania is safe, the expert can provide evidence that it is not safe for the specific person making the claim. This is how expert evidence works in practice.[11]

The expert can explain the gap between law and practice. Albania has good laws on paper. But the expert can show how these laws fail in real life. For example, they can explain how protection orders are not enforced. They can describe how police respond (or fail to respond) to domestic violence calls. They can document the ongoing reality of blood feuds in specific regions.

The expert can also provide local knowledge. Albania is a small country, but conditions vary greatly between regions. Tirana is different from Shkoder. A coastal city is different from a remote mountain village. The expert can explain why internal relocation (moving to another part of Albania) may not be a real option for some people. Criminal groups have networks across the country. Blood feuds follow families wherever they go.

Expert evidence is especially important in cases involving women. The Albania safe country myth hits women hardest. Decision-makers may assume that Albanian law protects women because there are laws against domestic violence. The expert can show that these laws do not work. They can present GREVIO findings, INSTAT statistics, and case studies. For more on how country conditions are documented, see our reports section.

What This Means for Albanian Asylum Claims

Albania's place on the UK safe country list and its EU candidate status lead some judges to dismiss claims quickly. Claimants at risk from non-state actors usually rely on particular social group, and the case turns on whether protection works in practice, not on whether laws exist. Grant rates elsewhere and decisions where courts accepted Albania was not safe help rebut the presumption. Individual evidence is still needed for each claimant. Our Albania country expert witness reports provide it.

Conclusion

The Albania safe country myth is exactly that: a myth. It is based on geography and political status, not on evidence. Albania is in Europe. It is an EU candidate. It has signed international conventions. None of these facts mean that all Albanians are safe. Blood feuds kill people. Domestic violence goes unpunished. Organized crime controls regions. Trafficking victims face re-trafficking. LGBTQ+ people face hostility.

Immigration courts must look beyond the label. The "safe country" designation is a legal tool, not a statement of fact. It creates a presumption that can and should be challenged with evidence. Expert witnesses play a vital role in this process. They bring the reality of Albania into the courtroom. Without their evidence, the myth goes unchallenged, and people who face real danger are sent back to face it.

The question is not whether Albania is in Europe. The question is whether Albania can protect the specific person standing before the court. For many Albanians, the evidence says it cannot.