The reintegration project “Bridging Component Albania”, financed by the state and the federal states, supports returnees immediately after their arrival in Albania and offers personal support and a wide range of assistance in the often uncertain initial phase.
From 01 April, 2021, the reintegration project "Bridge Component" will start work in Albania. The project is financed by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and twelve federal states and implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ) GmbH with the aim of supporting the sustainable reintegration of returnees on site.
The project starts in the often very demanding initial phase immediately after arrival in Albania. It helps returnees to settle in more easily in order to develop an individual perspective for a new beginning. For this purpose, the bridge component offers personal and trustworthy support as well as various advisory services and in-kind assistance.
Support services The support is based on the individual needs of the returnees and can include the following services:
With regard to employment support and medium-term reintegration measures, the bridge component cooperates closely with GIZ's DIMAK counselling centre in Albania, which is also supported by the German government.
Eligibility criteria The bridge component is open to all people who have voluntarily or forcibly returned to Albania from Germany and offers them free counselling. Only returnees from the federal states involved in the project can receive further of the above support services: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.
In addition, the following criteria apply for financial support:
In order to optimally prepare for your return, it is recommended that you register before leaving the country.
Please note that Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia only support people who have returned voluntarily.
Procedure and registration A pre-registration is used to announce a voluntary return without obligation in the bridge component, to accelerate the processes in the project and to facilitate tailor-made support for the returnees.
The registration form (see downloads) is submitted via a local or state authority or a return counselling centre. In order to avoid queries and to speed up processing, the registration form should be completed in full and signed by the person interested in returning. The registration form should then be scanned in and sent to the BAMF to the following function mailbox: Brueckenkomponente@bamf.bund.de Please note that registration is not automatically linked to the granting of benefits in the bridge component. Only in the context of a consultation on site in the bridge component will a decision be made about the eligibility, the type and scope of any funding.
As part of a personal consultation, the on-site social counsellors identify the individual needs of the returnees and work with them to develop a tailor-made roadmap for reintegration in Albania, which is tailored to the respective needs. The reintegration plan can include various counselling and support services, whereby the funding amount is capped:
Contact: Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta, Ish Ekspozita (Prapa Berlin TEXX) Tirana
There is no legal entitlement to any assistance.