Serbia risks visa liberalisation

That way, according to a European Commission spokesman, persons from third countries gain the opportunity to avoid Schengen's visa-equipped procedures and also pose risks to the security of EU countries. The Commission specifically mentions Serbia, which has had such a theme.

The “Commission has a general concern for different versions of citizenship giving schemes, such as the simplified procedure for granting citizenship after a short period of stay. This could present public and security risks to the EU, as Serbia enjoys visa-free movements in the EU. The Commission will monitor such naturalisation and citizenship policies by states that have visa liberalisation within the mechanisms for suspension of visas”, a European Commission spokesman has told Radio Free Europe.

He has also stressed that the visa policy of neighbouring countries has a major impact on the movement of immigrants towards the European Union.

“In Serbia's case, adapting to the EU visa regime is important to continue meeting the criteria for visa liberalisation. Serbia has taken an important step in adapting its visa regime to that of the EU. The Commission encourages Serbia to continue its efforts in this direction to have a full adaptation”, the European Commission has said.
Even earlier by diplomatic circles in the EU, criticism of Serbia for lifting visas for several third states has been heard. Mostly this is done for the states, which have not recognised Kosovo's independence or drawn such recognition. Some EU states have reported rapid growth in the number of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers from just these countries.

Among the countries most migrants come from have been mentioned in Burundi, Cuba, and Tunisia.

Citizens of these countries have entered Serbia without visas, and from there they have crossed into EU territory. Serbia has been forced to return visas to these states because it has been threatened that the EU will suspend visa liberalisation for Serbia, which has been in force since 2009.

But, remarks from the EU have also sent to several other countries in the region, including Albania.

Another concern for the EU is the so-called “gold passports” through which some countries in the region grant citizenship to those who invest specific amounts in these countries. Such schemes have had several European Union member states, and the European Commission has indicated they are illegal under EU laws. Therefore, the European Commission also requires countries in the region to refrain from such schemes.

The Commission has repeatedly recommended to partners from the Western Balkan region to end, or refrain from setting up citizenship schemes for investors, which is known as golden passports, as they present a string of risks to public order and EU security. In particular, these schemes enable citizens of third countries to obtain citizenship of a country that enjoys visa liberalisation and thus gain access to visa-free movements in the EU”, a European Commission spokesman has said.

Some EU countries' diplomats have told Radio Free Europe that visa liberalisation has been done to help citizens from the Western Balkan region travel to EU countries, not to allow political or financial abuses for the governments of the countries of the region.

“We need to work together to avoid turning the Western Balkan region into a door for illegal entry into the EU”, an EU official has said.

The European Commission consistently monitors the implementation of visa liberalisation criteria for the countries of the region.

Adapting to the EU visa regime is one of the conditions in which Brussels insists increasingly. In the event of the region's refusal to meet the criteria, even after liberalisation occurs, the EU maintains the right to suspend visa liberalisation.

So far, no such thing has happened, but in the EU they say countries in the region should not risk lifting liberalisation for their citizens for political or financial benefits.