Overview
- Albania’s foreign minister, Ferit Hoxha, said the five-year protocol with Italy would not be renewed after 2030, citing the expectation that Albania will be in the European Union by then.
- Prime Minister Edi Rama later said the pact would last as long as Italy wants and called the earlier remark a misleading quote.
- Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said he had not been informed of any change and urged focus on current work, noting that 2030 is far off.
- Italian opposition parties branded the plan a costly failure and pressed the government for answers, citing roughly €900 million spent on facilities and support in Albania.
- The accord, ratified in early 2024, uses sites at Gjadër and Shëngjin, and Italian officials said they are preparing a June decree to activate operations even as questions persist about how Albania’s future EU status could affect the deal.