SAVING VISA-FREE TRAVEL. Visa, asylum and the EU roadmap policy
SAVING VISA-FREE TRAVEL. Visa, asylum and the EU roadmap policy

Author(s): Author Not Specified
Subject(s): International relations/trade, Asylum, Refugees, Migration as Policy-fields
Published by: ESI – European Stability Initiative
Keywords: visa-free travel; Schengen;
Summary/Abstract: Since the visa requirement was lifted for Western Balkan countries in 2009, there has been a sharp increase in claims for political asylum by citizens of the region. Barely any of these applicants qualify for asylum. Rather, they are benefitting from national asylum rules that provide relatively generous benefits during the application process. || This paper proposes two possible solutions. One is to address the problem at the national level. Those states that have seen a sharp increase in applications from the Balkans could radically shorten their procedures. They could follow the example of Switzerland, which has recently introduced a 48-hour procedure for applicants from safe European countries like the Balkans. The other option is to tackle the problem at the EU level. The EU should label countries that have completed a visa liberalisation process as “safe countries of origin”, allowing for lighter and quicker processing procedures. We believe that the ideal response would be to pursue both solutions in parallel.

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