EUobserver: EU may reconsider visa-free regime for W. Balkans, ex-Soviet states

NEWS 29.09.202116:09 0 komentara
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The Brussels-based EUobserver website reported on Wednesday that according to a document it had access to, "frustration appeared to be mounting among France, Germany, and Italy, amid a wider discussion on stopping the alleged abuse since unlawful residency and unfounded asylum claims from some Western Balkan states, plus Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, was triggering discussions on suspending visa-free travel to the EU."

The website said the internal European Union document, dated 27 September, came a day ahead of European Commission (EC) president Ursula von der Leyen’s Western Balkan tour, itself ahead of a Balkan and a separate Ukraine summit later this month.

The EU-Western Balkans Summit is due in Slovenia on October 6.

The EUobserver recalled that the bloc approved free travel for Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia at the end of 2009. A year later, Albanians and citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova were also granted a visa-free regime and were followed by Georgia and Ukraine.

It said the „frustration appears to be mounting among France, Germany, and Italy, amid a broader discussion on stopping the alleged abuse.“

„In the document, Germany took umbrage with Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. It also faulted Albania and Serbia as among the top 10 problem countries,“ EUobserver said, adding it registered spikes in „unauthorised residence offences“ from Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine – despite an overall drop last year due to the pandemic.

Among EU member states unhappy with the results of the visa-free regime is „France with Albania and Georgia and remains wary of the Serbs,“ the website said.

It added the decision to reimpose the visas needed more than 50-percent increase in irregular stays or applicants for asylum with low recognition rates. Countries refusing to take back their nationals could also see the return of visas.

For its part, Belgium said it had „also have relatively high figures for North Macedonia, but it might be a temporary ‘summer phenomenon’.“

The EUobserver said that the Netherlands had been the first and only EU state to have asked for a visa-free suspension so far, but the European Commission rejected its request against Albania in 2019.

 

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