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Kosova

European Commission: The number of unfounded asylum requests from Kosovo increases by over 100 percent!

Politiko 2024-12-09 18:14:12

European Commission: The number of unfounded asylum requests from Kosovo

The European Commission (EC) warned on Monday that several EU member states have seen a sharp increase in the number of unfounded asylum applications from Kosovo citizens in the first year after the lifting of the visa regime. However, Kosovo generally continues to meet the criteria for visa liberalisation, the EC said in its latest report on the “visa liberalisation suspension mechanisms”.

The European Commission compiles such reports for all countries enjoying visa liberalization to see if there is a need to consider the possibility of reinstating the visa regime. This is the first time that Kosovo has been included in such a report since the EU lifted visa requirements for Kosovo citizens from January 1 this year.

From January to July of this year, an average of over 550 Kosovars sought asylum in European countries each month. This figure is significantly higher than the average in the past six years. However, the report emphasizes that it is still too early for Kosovo to make accurate conclusions about the impact of visa liberalization, as there is no data for the entire year.

The full data will be available to the EC in next year's report. However, the report states that "some member states have reported a significant increase in unfounded asylum applications from Kosovo citizens since the beginning of 2024."

"In the first seven months of 2024, 3,905 asylum applications were submitted to EU countries by Kosovo citizens, which represents an increase of 108 percent compared to the same period of the previous year," the report states.

In this report, the European Commission requests that Kosovo authorities establish mechanisms for data exchange with member states to monitor the flow of illegal immigration and trends in asylum applications.

Kosovo is also required to resume its internal information campaign on rights and obligations when traveling to Schengen Area countries and to cooperate bilaterally with countries that are most affected by the phenomenon of unfounded asylum applications.

Another issue that the European Commission has requested from Kosovo regarding the continuation of fulfilling the criteria for visa liberalization is the alignment of Kosovo's visa regime with that of the EU. This is a requirement of the bloc for all countries in the Western Balkans region.

The EU requires that all countries in the region fully adapt this regime to that of the bloc, which means that for all countries for which the EU requires visas, they must also require them.

Kosovo currently has 16 countries whose citizens need visas to travel to the EU, but can come to Kosovo without a visa. This possibility of visa-free travel to countries in the Balkan region is considered by the EU as a potential risk for illegal immigration to its member states./REL