05/06/2020 (Agence Europe) – EU Member States must strengthen their cooperation with the countries of the Western Balkans to bring their migration policy and border management up to European standards and to ensure that they can be considered as safe non-Member States, say conclusions adopted by the EU Council on Friday 5 June. These include the identification and reception of migrants and refugees, the ability to return illegal migrants through voluntary and forced returns, and the fight against migration-related disinformation. As regards security, cooperation between the EU and Western Balkan countries should strengthen the fight against all forms of organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism. The creation of joint police and customs investigation teams is also mentioned. See the conclusions: https://bit.ly/3dDZemV (MB)