The visa-free deal between the European Union and Serbia is below renewed scrutiny after a steep rise in irregular border crossings from the Balkan nation into the bloc.

Within the first 9 months of this 12 months, round 106,396 irregular entries had been detected within the Western Balkans route, a 170% enhance in comparison with the identical interval in 2021, based on the newest information launched by Frontex, the EU’s border management company.

September alone noticed virtually 20,000 detentions.

The numbers had been revealed on the eve of a gathering of EU house affairs ministers in Luxembourg, the place consideration turned to Serbia’s unaligned visa coverage.

The rise in border crossings “is one thing we’re involved of and we have to sort out all collectively,” mentioned Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for house affairs.

Johansson mentioned there had been a “important enhance” of migrants travelling visa-free to Serbia who then try to entry EU territory.

The commissioner mentioned nationals from Cuba, India and Burundi had been coming in “massive, massive numbers.” Serbia permits visa-free journey for these three nations, whereas the EU doesn’t.

Requested if the rise in border crossings may immediate the EU to droop its personal visa-free take care of Serbia, Johansson mentioned she didn’t exclude taking that step.

The visa facilitation settlement, signed again in 2009, permits Serbian nationals to spend as much as 90 days within the EU with out the necessity to apply for a Schengen Visa.

“I do hope and I do suppose that Serbia and different Western Balkan companions will cooperate with us and align their visa coverage with the EU,” she mentioned. “However after all, this [suspension] is nothing that I’ll exclude.”

Serbia’s International Affairs Ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Talking on behalf of the EU Council’s rotating presidency, Vít Rakušan, the Czech Republic’s inside minister, sounded the alarm in regards to the uptick in crossings by way of the Western Balkans.

“We are able to see the results of this migration wave in each nook of the EU,” Rakušan mentioned.

His Slovak counterpart, Roman Mikulec, additionally used the time period “migration wave” to confer with the present state of affairs.

Potential visa-free abuse

The scrutiny over Serbia is amplified by the actual fact the nation is an official candidate to affix the EU and is due to this fact anticipated to steadily align all of its insurance policies, together with visa issuance, with these of the bloc.

An enlargement report launched on Wednesday by the European Fee shed gentle over Serbia’s lack of progress in visa alignment, notably with regards to non-EU nations that “current irregular migration or safety dangers.”

Serbia continues to permit visa-free journey to some nations which might be excluded from the EU’s visa-free system, creating a degree of friction.

Serbia’s record contains Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, China, Cuba, Guinea Bissau, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Suriname, Tunisia and Turkey.

The Fee and the member states are involved that this disparity is fuelling an abuse of the EU’s personal visa-free system, from which Serbia advantages.

“Now we have bought guarantees that Serbia will align with our insurance policies,” mentioned Commissioner Johansson after Friday’s assembly. “We count on them to align.”

Johansson talked about Tunisia, Burundi and India because the nations that require probably the most pressing motion by the Serbian authorities, and mentioned discussions had been happening on the “highest degree.”

“We wish to see sensible outcomes and progress on this discipline as a result of it is necessary for the safety of EU residents,” mentioned Minister Rakušan, when requested about the opportunity of suspending the EU-Serbia visa deal. “We are able to’t exclude some subsequent steps, however the starting ought to at all times be the talk with our companions.”

Diplomatic outreach has accelerated in current weeks.

The leaders of Hungary, Austria and Serbia met earlier this month to seek out widespread options on the way to stem the reported enhance in unlawful migration through the Balkan route.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić introduced that by the top of the 12 months, his nation would align its visa insurance policies with the EU in order that the visa-free regime is not used for migration functions.

“We’ll thus forestall the state of affairs when somebody makes use of Serbia as a rustic of arrival however not due to their actual wants however for unlawful migration towards the west,” Vučić mentioned.

Austria and the Czech Republic have already re-imposed momentary controls on their borders with Slovakia in response to the uptick in irregular arrivals.

Austrian authorities have warned the nation’s asylum system was close to a “breaking level” after having obtained round 56,000 asylum purposes between January and August. Many of those requests, together with 7,600 from Indians, have little probability of succeeding, authorities mentioned.

Over the previous 9 months, Slovenia has registered the entry 15,590 irregular migrants, a 115% enhance in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months. Afghans, Indians and Burundians topped the record.

In Belgium, the variety of asylum utility from Burundi nationals multiplied by eightfold over the summer season, from 34 in Could to 263 requests in July.