Germany on Thursday hosted a meeting with representatives of the European Union and several European countries — including from the western Balkans — in an effort to curb migration via the so-called Balkan route.
“We want to protect the people who flee to us from war and
political persecution,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. “At the
same time, we also take decisive action against irregular migration ... our
declared goal is to reduce the rising irregular migration via the western
Balkans route.”
In recent months, an increasing number of migrants have been
trying to reach wealthier western European countries via the Balkans, often
paying smugglers thousands of euros (dollars) to take them across borders
without valid travel documents.
The package of measures that western European and EU
officials pushed for at the Berlin meeting include aligning the visa policies
of western Balkan states Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,
Montenegro and North Macedonia — all of which want to join the 27-nation bloc —
with EU standards, combating trafficking of migrants, ensuring effective border
protection and speeding up deportations.
Especially Serbia has been pressured by EU countries to
restrict its lax entry policies and no longer allow visa-free travel for
citizens from India, Tunisia, Morocco and elsewhere. These people often use
Serbia as a loophole to enter the continent and continue from there to the
west.
While Germany has welcomed more than 1 million Ukrainian
refugees — mostly women and children — who entered legally since Russia
attacked the eastern European country on Feb. 24, the government has recently
struck a much more hostile tone regarding migrants from more distant parts of
the world.
By the end of September, Germany’s federal police had
registered almost 58,000 unauthorized entries at the country’s borders — mostly
in the east, where the Balkan route ends. According to preliminary figures,
there were 12,720 cases in September alone, more than twice as many as a year
earlier, dpa reported.
Austria, the Czech Republic and other central European
countries have also reported increased entries of migrants and asylum seekers.
Almost 135,000 people had applied for asylum in Germany in
2022 by the end of September. That is around a third more than in the same
period last year, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
However, it’s still a far call from 2015-16, when more than 1 million migrants,
mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan applied for asylum in Germany.
The figures for asylum applications in 2022 are much lower
than the total number of refugees because Ukrainians can enter Germany without
a visa and do not need to apply for asylum.
Migration expert Gerald Knaus expressed doubt whether
officials’ attempts to prevent migration to the EU via the Balkans would curb
the current influx.
“Closing the Balkans route has never worked so far,” Knaus
told newspaper group RND, adding that “the pressure currently comes not from illegal
migration, but from legal migration. Nine out of ten refugees come from
Ukraine.”
German cities and communities have recently expressed
concern about the difficult housing situation of refugees and have demanded
help from the federal government. More Ukrainian refugees are expected to
arrive in Germany as winter approaches and Russia’s attacks on Ukraine are
becoming increasingly brutal.
A small but vocal far-right minority has also tried to use
the refugees as scapegoats for the rising food and energy prices that are
linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
On Wednesday, a refugee shelter for Ukrainians was burnt
down on Germany’s Baltic Coast and investigators said they’re looking into
politically motivated arson.