Brussels, 31/08/2012 (Agence Europe) - Most travellers from the Balkans who benefit from visa liberalisation regimes are “genuine” travellers, the European Commission states in a report published on Tuesday 28 August. This third report assesses the implementation of visa liberalisation regimes granted to the Balkan States in 2009 and 2010, i.e. Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania, as well as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).
In its report, the Commission takes stock of progress made by these countries in a series of areas ranging from document security to the fight against illegal immigration, and also including organised crime, money laundering and the trade in human beings. It reviews statements by some member states that believe they have known peaks in unfounded asylum applications from nationals of Balkan countries. Three member states mainly noted an increase in such requests - Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden - and were, moreover, at the origin of a Commission proposal in 2011 (still under discussion) for provisionally suspending visa liberalisation regimes should there be too many unfounded applications for asylum registered in a number of member states.
In the report, the Commission looks at the profile of asylum seekers from these countries, who are more often than not Roma arriving with their families, it writes. The rates of acceptance of asylum applications remain very low, the Commission writes.
By way of conclusion, the Commission states, the large majority of those benefitting from visa liberalisation regimes are genuine travellers and such regimes have made it possible to strengthen economic and cultural relations between these countries of the Balkans and EU countries. The Commission also notes that, on the whole, asylum requests submitted by Balkan nationals have to date not increased compared with 2011, and have even declined. It states, however, that there are rises now and again linked to seasonal changes or in specific geographical areas. The report indicates, moreover, that concerted action with the countries of origin are to be put in place to remedy such phenomena, in particular in order to deal with the problem of organised groups of asylum seekers of Roma origin, the Commission writes. The Commission also calls on the countries of origin of the Roma in question to work to promote their integration. (SP/transl.jl)