The European Union’s border agency, Frontex, has warned that citizens of Russia, China and Turkey are exploiting visa-free travel arrangements in the Western Balkans to attempt irregular entry into the European Union.
In its latest risk assessment report, cited by Serbian media outlet Danas, Frontex said migration flows through the Western Balkans continue to reflect developments along the Eastern Mediterranean route, with several nationalities using the region as a transit corridor toward EU member states.
The agency specifically identified nationals of China, Russia and Turkey, as well as Jordanian passport holders of Palestinian origin, as among those using visa-free access to countries in the region before attempting to continue their journey into the EU.
Frontex said that while migration pressure may ease due to police operations, seasonal factors and fears of violence and kidnappings by smuggling networks, abuses of visa-free regimes are expected to continue.
According to the report, the lack of harmonized visa policies among Western Balkan countries facilitates the use of air travel routes into the region, effectively turning the area into a “springboard” for irregular migration into the European Union.
The agency noted that the Western Balkans route, passing through Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and onward to Slovenia and Austria, remains one of the main migration corridors linked to the Eastern Mediterranean route.
For years, the European Union has urged Western Balkan governments to align their visa policies more closely with EU standards in an effort to curb irregular migration and prevent abuse of visa-free travel arrangements.