Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Italy’s migration arrangement with Albania could continue beyond 2028 if Rome wants to keep it, describing its duration as linked to the needs of the Italian government. He made the remarks on November 3 at the Euronews Enlargement Summit, where he spoke with moderator Maria Tadeo.
“The deal will stay for as long as need be,” Rama said. He joked that it could last until 2030, 2040 or 2050, “until she will be prime minister in Italy,” referring to Giorgia Meloni. His comments were political, not a formal decision to extend the agreement.
The first term runs to March 2029
The protocol, signed in 2023 and in force since March 25, 2024, sets an initial five-year term, followed by automatic renewal for another five years unless either country gives notice. The first term therefore runs to March 2029; the deadline to prevent automatic renewal falls about six months earlier, in September 2028, according to the Italian Official Gazette.
The agreement allows Italy to transfer irregular migrants to centres in Albania for processing and, in some cases, detention ahead of deportation. The facilities are in Shëngjin and Gjadër. Albania’s EU membership ambitions have prompted questions about the arrangement’s future, but accession has not been established as an automatic trigger for ending the protocol.
Rama played down the deal’s significance for Europe, pointing to EU rules on return hubs outside the bloc. The Council of the EU approved new rules on return on October 1, including provisions for agreements with non-EU countries; that approval does not itself renew or expand the Italy-Albania protocol.
Rama also said tougher border controls would not resolve migration on their own. “This issue is not going away because we strengthen borders,” he said. Euronews reported his remarks at the summit.
Clayton Ward 
Nicole French