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The number of asylum seekers from the Balkans in Europe have dropped in the past year but peaked in May, says the EU's border control agency (Photo: Wikipedia)

Balkan visa-free regime under scrutiny

EU ministers of interior are set to discuss visa policy in Brussels on Thursday (6 December) with several member states wanting to reintroduce visas for passport holders from Western Balkan countries.

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands say migrants from the region are abusing the current visa-free system by requesting asylum, reports the AP.

Each asylum application request has to be examined, they say, creating large caseloads and backlogs.

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Author Bio

Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.

The number of asylum seekers from the Balkans in Europe have dropped in the past year but peaked in May, says the EU's border control agency (Photo: Wikipedia)

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Author Bio

Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.

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