Belgium’s Minister of Justice, Annelies Verlinden, and that of Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, have begun a three-day visit to Albania and Kosovo, which will focus on the possibility of renting or building a prison in one of these countries.
Kosovo has an agreement with Denmark for the rental of cells.
Radio Free Europe has contacted the acting Ministry of Justice about the possibility of a prison agreement with Belgium and is still awaiting a response.
This visit of the two Belgian ministers will focus on strengthening cooperation in the fight against organized crime, recovering criminal assets abroad, and addressing overcrowding in Belgian prisons and migration.
The ministers, according to DeMorgen, who are leaving for Albania today, will insist that Tirana officially accept the return of its citizens held in Belgian prisons. This includes 307 Albanian citizens, of whom 253 do not have a residence permit.
“Those who are sentenced here and do not have a residence permit can serve their sentence in their country of origin, then this will mean a fair execution of the sentence, as well as a significant increase in efficiency for our prison institutions,” said Verlinden.
During this visit, according to Verlinden, a memorandum of understanding on assets will be discussed, so that assets confiscated in criminal cases in Kosovo and Albania, based on information from investigations in Belgium, can be partially transferred to the Belgian state treasury.
Minister Verlinden said that there is positive cooperation with Kosovo and Albania.
According to Belgium, Kosovo is a transit country for human trafficking and arms smuggling and often appears in Belgian court cases as a place for money laundering.
Meanwhile, Albania is said to be a strategic partner in the fight against drug trafficking and there is a strong presence of Albanian criminal organizations in the port of Antwerp.
“The Western Balkans are currently the key region in our fight against organized crime. I want to rely on mutual trust that has been built through intensive cooperation in recent years,” said Minister Verlinden. Talks will be held in Kosovo to sign a treaty on legal assistance, which, according to Belgium, will aim to structurally strengthen cooperation in criminal matters.
Kosovo already has a cell rental agreement with Denmark. The first prisoners from this country will be placed in the Gjilan city prison in April 2027.
The ten-year agreement foresees the use of the Correctional Institution in Gjilan for the transfer of 300 prisoners from the Danish state.
In return, Kosovo will benefit from over 200 million euros.
The Kosovo Assembly ratified the agreement on May 23, 2024, two years after it was signed.Radio Free Europe/