EU tells Balkan countries not to abuse of new-found visa freedom

Brussels - Balkan countries that recently won visa-free access to the European Union's Schengen area should tell their citizens not to abuse the system, the European Commission said Tuesday after Belgium reported an influx of asylum seekers. Last week Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme complained of a "sudden immigration flow" from Serbia and Macedonia, two nations which, along with Montenegro, saw their Schengen visas abolished on December 19.

According to Belgian media, just under 300 Serbians and Macedonians, mainly of Albanian ethnic descent, filed asylum requests claiming they were fleeing from persecution.

Reacting to the news, commission spokesman Michele Cercone said "the vast majority of these asylum applications are made out on economic interests and have really little chance of success."

He went on urging "countries that recently benefited from visa liberalization (...) to make the necessary efforts to avoid that their citizens misunderstand or misuse the freedom to travel to the EU without a visa".

"This freedom comes with a responsibility and it is fundamental not to abuse the clear rules that have been mutually agreed," Cercone concluded.

The visa-free system allows Serbians, Macedonians and Montenegrins to visit Schengen countries for up to three months, while recognized asylum seekers can stay on indefinitely and are entitled to receive a living allowance from their host country.

The European Commission is set to decide this year whether Albania and Bosnia-Erzegovina also deserve to be included in the visa-free regime, along with other Balkan countries.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312141,eu-tells-balkan-countries-not-to-abuse-of-new-found-visa-freedom.html.