The countries of the Balkans Western countries – Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Bosnia and Hercegovina – have become one of the main routes of entry into the European Union (EU) for immigrants Y refugees. Between January and November of this year alone, almost 130,000 people tried to reach community territory by this route, triple the number in the same period a year ago. A flow in which people who have the right to enter without a visa, and who then continue on their way to the EU, and those who arrive irregular from the eastern Mediterranean. To shield this route and stop the arrival of illegal immigrants, Brussels has proposed a new action plan that contemplates a greater deployment of agency staff Frontex on the borders with these countries, more financial assistance as well as greater harmonization of the policy of visas.
From the year 2021 until now, the EU has granted the countries of the Western Balkans almost 202 million euros in the framework of pre-accession assistance in the area of immigration and management of borderswith special attention to the fight against smuggling, border management, judicial and police cooperation, capacity building and key infrastructure and equipment. Brussels is willing to continue increasing aid in 2023 and 2024, according to a new action plan, similar to the one proposed for the central Mediterranean two weeks ago, which arrives on the eve of the EU-Western Balkans leaders’ summit to be held this Tuesday in Tirana (Albania) – which was not attended by the President of the Government Pedro Sanchez– and a new meeting of EU interior ministers this coming Thursday that will address the liberalization of visas with Kosovo.
The plan is based on an objective: to shield border management in this migratory route, something they consider “essential & rdquor; to reduce “irregular flows & rdquor ;. The EU has already closed coordination agreements with Albania, Montenegro and Serbia, facilitating the deployment of border agents in the region, and will shortly launch similar operations with North Macedonia. The initiative proposes “to review and potentially increase the support of Frontex & rdquor; Member States at the external borders and give more financial support for bilateral cooperation with these countries.
Harmonize visa policy
Beyond achieving greater control of the external borders, what the EU aspires to is to achieve greater harmonization of visa policy so that third-country nationals traveling to the Western Balkan countries without a visa cannot then cross into the EU. Virtually all of these countries have visa waiver agreements with the EU – Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia since 2009, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina since late 2010, Moldova since 2014 and Georgia and Ukraine since 2017 – which makes it easier for foreigners who arrive in its territory to move freely later to the EU, even if their countries of origin do not have visa agreements with the Member States.
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“There has been progress. Serbia has changed its policy with regard to Tunisia and Burundi and they have promised to do the same with regard to India and other third countries,” explained the interior commissioner, Ylva Johansson, which recognizes that the majority of foreigners who benefit from the visa waiver use Serbia as a gateway. A problem that he considers necessary “to address with all the countries of the Western Balkans & rdquor; and that he will be at the table of the leaders of both blocks at the meeting they are holding this Tuesday in Tirana.
“It is not acceptable that the countries of the Western Balkans have visa exemption agreements with countries that exploit loopholes to have legal access to the EU,” added the Vice President of the Community Executive, Margaritis Schinas. As warned in the fifth follow-up report on the visa exemption regime with the countries of the Western Balkans, also published this Monday, “the lack of alignment with the EU visa policy may lead to an increase in arrivals irregularities and it must be addressed as a priority issue in all the partners of the Western Balkans & rdquor ;, recalls Brussels.