Belgian justice minister Annelies Verlinden (Flemish Christian democrat CD&V) and asylum and migration minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (Flemish nationalist N-VA) are on a diplomatic mission to Albania and Kosovo. In order to alleviate the structural overcrowding in Belgian prisons, the federal government is considering a prison abroad for convicted criminals with no right of abode in Belgium. Both ministers will hold exploratory talks.
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Belgian ministers travel to Albania and Kosovo, Belgian government considers renting or building prison there
Colin Clapson
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The mission focuses on strengthening cooperation in the fight against organised crime, recovering criminal assets abroad and tackling overcrowding in Belgian prisons and migration.
The ministers will urge Albania to take back its nationals who are serving sentences in Belgian prisons. A total of 307 Albanians are currently in our prisons, 253 of whom do not have a right of residence in Belgium.
‘If those who have been convicted here and do not have the right of abode can serve their sentence in their country of origin, this means that the sentence is being correctly enforced and, at the same time, there’s a significant efficiency gain for our penitentiary institutions,’ says Verlinden.
Intense cooperation
Minister Verlinden is positive about the cooperation with Kosovo and Albania. Kosovo is a transit country for human trafficking and arms trafficking and is increasingly appearing in Belgian files as a location for money laundering practices.
Albania is a strategic partner in the fight against drug trafficking, with a strong presence of Albanian criminal organisations in the port of Antwerp.
‘The Western Balkans are now a key region in our fight against organised crime. I want to build on the mutual trust that has grown through intense cooperation in recent years,’ explains minister Verlinden.