Brussels, 21/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - Internal Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström has called on Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to dissuade their nationals from seeking asylum in EU countries. On Wednesday, she sent a letter of warning to the home affairs ministers of both countries. “Some member states are once again experiencing an alarming increase of persons coming from your country and seeking asylum,” she points out. “This trend is extremely worrying and might seriously jeopardise the entire process of visa liberalisation in the Western Balkans,” she warns pointing out that the Schengen member states can take appropriate action where there are persistent difficulties. Belgium has noted over the last few months a new influx of asylum seekers from the Balkans, according to Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum Melchior Wathelet. He was in Belgrade and Skopje on Wednesday and Thursday to try to resolve the problem which comes essentially from economic migrants of Roma origin who have been trafficked or have been fed misinformation. In addition to Belgium, Germany and Sweden are also affected. However, at this point, “the Commission does not intend to rescind visa liberalisation arrangements because of very specific problems,” Malmström's spokesman Michele Cercone said on Thursday. The Commission equally is seeking to make no difference between the Roma and everyone else, he said. (B.C./trnsl.rt)