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A rise in asylum applications could risk visa privileges for some Balkan states (Photo: johnnyalive)

Asylum rise puts Balkan visa-free scheme in danger

There has been a sharp increase in asylum applications from Serbia and Macedonia, which is causing concern in Belgium and Germany and could endanger the EU visa liberalisation scheme introduced last year.

EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom has written to Serbian and Macedonian ministers responsible for interior affairs – Ivica Dacic and Gordana Jankolovska – to say their countries could lose permission for citizens to travel in the EU without a visa.

She said the EU ...

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A rise in asylum applications could risk visa privileges for some Balkan states (Photo: johnnyalive)

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