Massive increases in unbased asylum demands by Kosovars after liberalisation, EU seeks rigorousity on startup

A European Commission report that has been handed over to the European Parliament and the Council of Europe has stressed that in the first seven months of 2024, 3 thousand and 905 applications have been submitted in EU member states, or 108 % more compared to the same period in 2023.

This data stems from reports some states have made regarding asylum demands submitted by citizens of the Republic of Kosovo.

However, some member states reported a significant increase in unbased asylum demands submitted by Kosovo citizens since the beginning of 2017. In the first seven months of 2024, 3 905 applications have been submitted by Kosovo citizens to EU member states (+10.8% compared to the same period in 2023)”, the report European Commission has submitted to Parliament and the Council says.

Although the report finds that Kosovo continues to meet the requirements regarding visa liberalisation, the European Commission stresses that further efforts are needed, requiring more rigorous control of the visa-free arrivals of third-nation citizens, especially of countries that pose security risks or irregular migration.

Also called for strengthening recently launched initiatives in co-operation with member states to monitor the issue of unbased asylum demands from Kosovo citizens to member states.

Regarding the problem of large unbased asylum demands, the Express newspaper has sent questions to Germany's Ministry of Internal Affairs, as this country is seen as an oasis of Kosovars' employment.

A spokesman for the German Government's Ministry of Internal Affairs in an exclusive response to Gazette Express has said the Federal Government is carefully monitoring developments in Kosovo.

The Federal Government is carefully monitoring developments in Kosovo. As of January 1st, 2024, Kosovo citizens do not need visas to travel to the Schengen area. This exception from visa demand comes after a multi-year visa liberalisation dialogue between Kosovo and the EU”, this spokesman has declared.

Germany's Interior Ministry have said that the European Commission monitors all states outside the EU, whose citizens are free of visa requirements, in order to determine whether these countries continue to meet the criteria for free visa-free movement even after the end of visa liberalisation talks.

German MPB spokesman has said it is the Commission's responsibility to activate what is known as the visa suspension mechanism, in case individual countries outside the EU no longer meet the criteria for moving without visas.

If the European Commission finds that individual countries outside the EU no longer meet these criteria, then it is the European Commission's responsibility to activate what is known as the visa suspension mechanism”, this German Interior Ministry spokesman has said.

A departure from Berlin has said the European Commission's seventh report on the visa suspension mechanism, which has been published on December 6th, 2024, has also been addressed to Kosovo.

Interior Ministry spokesman says Kosovo has also been given recommendations, requiring reinforcement of awareness campaigns and application of stricter controls during departures.

“One of the findings of the European Commission was that the number of unbased asylum demands submitted by Kosovo citizens had increased significantly since January 2024. For Kosovo to continue meeting the criteria for visa-free travel, the Commission recommended that the following actions be taken: “Continue and strengthen the recently launched initiatives in co-operation with member states to monitor the issue of unbased asylum requirements by Kosovo citizens in member states, including reinforcement and awareness campaigns to inform the rules that are implemented to travel to the Schengen area and apply stricter controls during the” startups, this German Ministry of Interior Affairs spokesman has concluded.