Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has announced that his country is willing to open its borders to Afghan refugees and that work has already begun on temporary accommodation facilities.

However, the exact number of refugees entering Albania, the duration of their stay and the areas in which they are to be settled remain unclear, implying a real risk of new refugee flows into Greece.

Given the hardship already being suffered in Albania by its ethnic Greek minority, which has seen its rights repeatedly infringed over the years:

1. Does the Commission know the exact number of Afghan refugees expected to enter Albania and the areas in which they are to be settled?

2. Does it know what measures are being taken to safeguard the rights of Albania’s ethnic Greek minority and what guarantees are being given by the Albanian authorities that no further pressure will be brought to bear on it?

3. What action is being taken to prevent any further refugee flows over the Albanian border into Greece?

Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission here.