Asylum seekers still jeopardizing visa-free regime

BELGRADE PM Ivica Dacic has said that Serbia managed to reduce the number of false asylum-seekers by a series of preventive and restrictive measures. However, Serbia's visa-free regime with countries in the Schengen Area is still in danger, he said. Asylum seekers still jeopardizing visa-free regime After meeting with Belgian Stat Secretary for Asylum and Migration Maggie de Block, Dacic said that 17,000 citizens tried to depart for Western Europe seeking asylum and this number was halved in 2011. The Serbian government maintains a very positive cooperation with Belgian and other European governments but the problem of false asylum-seekers who are trying to come to the countries of Western Europe for economic reasons can still jeopardise visa liberalisation with the countries in the Schengen Area. Roma and Albanians make up for the greatest number of asylum seekers and this is why we are careful in the implementation of the measures so that we could avoid any actions that could be interpreted as violation of human rights, Dacic said. In addition to everything we are doing, such as border control, introduction of new criminal acts and other restrictive measures, it is important to implement measures so that the areas asylum-seekers are coming from could develop economically as much as possible, and inclusion should be carried out for the Roma population, Dacic said. Last year, 4,579 Serbian citizens sought asylum in Germany, 2,699 citizens applied for asylum in Sweden, 935 in Luxembourg, 1,109 in Belgium and 1,117 in Switzerland, he said. A total of 400 asylum-seekers from Serbia were recorded in Belgium this year ending with September and this number should be lower than in 2011. Maggie de Block stated that unless the number of applications from false asylum-seekers is reduced, this could endanger Serbia's non-visa regime, but she also expressed the expectation that this will be prevented. A lot has been done already, but a great chunk of work is yet to be done, she said after visiting southern Serbia on Sunday to notify the local population about the changes in the regulations of EU countries regarding asylum applications. We have been cooperating well in prevention of illegal migration and the number of asylum-seekers has dropped but 50 to 70 percent of applicants still come from Serbia, she said and added that Serbia is a democratic and safe country which is why this is a rather high figure and it should be additionally reduced, the Belgian official said. Belgium wants to assist Serbia as a EU candidate in meeting the conditions, the Belgian state secretary said. Ivica Dacic (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

Asylum seekers still jeopardizing visa-free regime

After meeting with Belgian Stat Secretary for Asylum and Migration Maggie de Block, Dačić said that 17,000 citizens tried to depart for Western Europe seeking asylum and this number was halved in 2011.

The Serbian government maintains a very positive cooperation with Belgian and other European governments but the problem of false asylum-seekers who are trying to come to the countries of Western Europe for economic reasons can still jeopardise visa liberalisation with the countries in the Schengen Area.

Roma and Albanians make up for the greatest number of asylum seekers and this is why we are careful in the implementation of the measures so that we could avoid any actions that could be interpreted as violation of human rights, Dačić said.

In addition to everything we are doing, such as border control, introduction of new criminal acts and other restrictive measures, it is important to implement measures so that the areas asylum-seekers are coming from could develop economically as much as possible, and inclusion should be carried out for the Roma population, Dačić said.

Last year, 4,579 Serbian citizens sought asylum in Germany, 2,699 citizens applied for asylum in Sweden, 935 in Luxembourg, 1,109 in Belgium and 1,117 in Switzerland, he said.

A total of 400 asylum-seekers from Serbia were recorded in Belgium this year ending with September and this number should be lower than in 2011.

Maggie de Block stated that unless the number of applications from false asylum-seekers is reduced, this could endanger Serbia's non-visa regime, but she also expressed the expectation that this will be prevented.

A lot has been done already, but a great chunk of work is yet to be done, she said after visiting southern Serbia on Sunday to notify the local population about the changes in the regulations of EU countries regarding asylum applications.

We have been cooperating well in prevention of illegal migration and the number of asylum-seekers has dropped but 50 to 70 percent of applicants still come from Serbia, she said and added that Serbia is a democratic and safe country which is why this is a rather high figure and it should be additionally reduced, the Belgian official said.

Belgium wants to assist Serbia as a EU candidate in meeting the conditions, the Belgian state secretary said.