“Number of false asylum seekers to be reduced”

IM Ivica Dacic says that authorities will step up control at border crossings in order to prevent large numbers of “false asylum seekers” from leaving Serbia. He explained that those were mainly Albanians from southern Serbia and Roma from Vojvodina and that it was necessary to stop this from happening so visa liberalization would not be jeopardized. “Number of false asylum seekers to be reduced” “About 8,000 people from Serbia applied for asylum in the countries that most of the false asylum seekers go to - Sweden, Germany and Belgium since the beginning of the year,” the interior minister stressed. He told EurActiv.rs that Serbia would step up control at border crossings and conduct investigations in order to determine whether there were firms that had been organizing trips for false asylum seekers but he added that customs officers of the EU member states had greater possibilities to control the borders. “Customs and police authorities of the states where one enters the EU have much higher authority,” Dacic pointed out and added that EU member states would also increase border control. “The largest number of so-called false asylum seekers is in Sweden. The number was between 5,000 and 6,000 in the first ten months of the year. There are about 2,000 for the first ten months in Germany and between 600 and 700 in Belgium,” he stressed. The interior minister repeated that these people were mostly Albanians from southern Serbia and Roma from Vojvodina and that their number had increased in the past several months. “In the next few days we will speak with representatives of those ethnic communities, everybody needs to understand that what’s happening could jeopardize visa liberalization for the citizens of Serbia if the number continues to rise,” he said. “In order to discourage false asylum seekers from coming some countries have cancelled financial aid which used to be given to everybody who applied for asylum and Serbia is ready to respond to requests to return them to Serbia based on the readmission agreement in a few days,” the interior minister noted. He points out that Romanian authorities used to revoke passports to those who unjustifiably sought asylum and were returned to Romania but that the decision was later revoked by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Dacic concluded that Serbian authorities would together with their EU partners do their best to reduce the number of false asylum seekers. Ivica Dacic (Tanjug)

“Number of false asylum seekers to be reduced”

“About 8,000 people from Serbia applied for asylum in the countries that most of the false asylum seekers go to - Sweden, Germany and Belgium since the beginning of the year,” the interior minister stressed.

He told EurActiv.rs that Serbia would step up control at border crossings and conduct investigations in order to determine whether there were firms that had been organizing trips for false asylum seekers but he added that customs officers of the EU member states had greater possibilities to control the borders.

“Customs and police authorities of the states where one enters the EU have much higher authority,” Dačić pointed out and added that EU member states would also increase border control.

“The largest number of so-called false asylum seekers is in Sweden. The number was between 5,000 and 6,000 in the first ten months of the year. There are about 2,000 for the first ten months in Germany and between 600 and 700 in Belgium,” he stressed.

The interior minister repeated that these people were mostly Albanians from southern Serbia and Roma from Vojvodina and that their number had increased in the past several months.

“In the next few days we will speak with representatives of those ethnic communities, everybody needs to understand that what’s happening could jeopardize visa liberalization for the citizens of Serbia if the number continues to rise,” he said.

“In order to discourage false asylum seekers from coming some countries have cancelled financial aid which used to be given to everybody who applied for asylum and Serbia is ready to respond to requests to return them to Serbia based on the readmission agreement in a few days,” the interior minister noted.

He points out that Romanian authorities used to revoke passports to those who unjustifiably sought asylum and were returned to Romania but that the decision was later revoked by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Dačić concluded that Serbian authorities would together with their EU partners do their best to reduce the number of false asylum seekers.