Serbians don't need EU visas, but can't afford to travel

Today marks one year since visa requirements were lifted for Serbians traveling to the so-called white Schengen zone states in Europe.

Izvor: B92

Monday, 20.12.2010.

15:48

Default images

Today marks one year since visa requirements were lifted for Serbians traveling to the so-called white Schengen zone states in Europe. However, most people do not use the advantages of the visa-free regime due to the fact that they cannot afford to travel. Serbians don't need EU visas, but can't afford to travel The queues in front of embassies, present a year ago, moved to police stations, because the use of the visa-free regime meant obtaining new biometric passports. Thus in the first half of 2010, two million new passports were issued. Still, in the last twelve months they were put to use mostly by young people. Statistics shows that despite the abolition of visas, Serbians have in fact been traveling less. The border police recorded 300,000 fewer crossings of the country's borders compared to 2009. Deputy PM in charge of European integration Bozidar Djelic says that the citizens "had not had enough money to use the abolition of the EU visa regime to the full extent". "The citizens would have used the advantages of the visa abolition had it not been for the crisis, and had they had the money," Djelic revealed for B92 in Belgrade today. Talking about problems associated with the issue, Djelic said there were cases of "fake asylum seekers." "During this summer there were several hundred fake asylum seekers in Sweden and in Germany, but that has been solved. Police records show that almost all of them were deported back, and that will be the case in the future," said Djelic. According to him, this is because "a minority will not be allowed to jeopardize the right to travel freely" for the rest of the country.

Serbians don't need EU visas, but can't afford to travel

The queues in front of embassies, present a year ago, moved to police stations, because the use of the visa-free regime meant obtaining new biometric passports.

Thus in the first half of 2010, two million new passports were issued. Still, in the last twelve months they were put to use mostly by young people.

Statistics shows that despite the abolition of visas, Serbians have in fact been traveling less. The border police recorded 300,000 fewer crossings of the country's borders compared to 2009.

Deputy PM in charge of European integration Božidar Đelić says that the citizens "had not had enough money to use the abolition of the EU visa regime to the full extent".

"The citizens would have used the advantages of the visa abolition had it not been for the crisis, and had they had the money," Đelić revealed for B92 in Belgrade today.

Talking about problems associated with the issue, Đelić said there were cases of "fake asylum seekers."

"During this summer there were several hundred fake asylum seekers in Sweden and in Germany, but that has been solved. Police records show that almost all of them were deported back, and that will be the case in the future," said Đelić.

According to him, this is because "a minority will not be allowed to jeopardize the right to travel freely" for the rest of the country.

Komentari 9

Pogledaj komentare

9 Komentari

Možda vas zanima

Podeli: