The European Parliament has sounded the alarm about the rising number of asylum seekers in the European Union from Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the two Western Balkan countries that were granted a visa-free regime in December 2009. The Christian Democrats (EPP) have expressed their concern at the rapid and massive influx of asylum seekers, in particular to Belgium, Germany and Sweden.

“We are concerned that visa-free travel has been misinterpreted and misused,” said Simon Busuttil (Malta), Anna Maria Corazza Bildt (Sweden), and Monika Hohlmeier (Germany), in a statement on 27 October. Formally, the visa-free travel regime with Serbia and Macedonia provides for people to benefit from three months of travel authorisation to visit the EU Schengen area but not to establish themselves in the area. The MEPs called on the Serbian and Macedonian authorities “to take prompt actions to address this worrying situation”. The Commission has also called on the two countries to deal with the problem. The EU’s Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström sent letters to Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic and Macedonia’s Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska, warning that this «very worrying phenomenon» could seriously jeopardise the entire process of visa liberalization in the Western Balkans. If the influx of asylum seekers still continues, the EU can limit visa-free travel for the current Western Balkan participants in the Schengen scheme or delay admitting new countries from the region (Albania and Bosnia are currently in the process of acquiring visa-free travel with the EU).

The issue is expected to be raised at the next plenary session of the European Parliament.