Serbia will again require visas for citizens of Burundi and Tunisia. For the FDJP, this decision constitutes a “success for Switzerland and other countries (in the Schengen area) in the fight against irregular migration via the Balkan route”.
Belgrade “changes its policy”, welcomed the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) on Twitter on Saturday. It requires visas for citizens of Burundi “as of today” and for those of Tunisia from 20 November.
European Union interior ministers discussed last week the high number of refugees and migrants arriving in the EU via the Balkan route. Federal Councilor Karin Keller-Sutter was delighted that Belgrade wanted to partially align its visa policy with that of the Schengen area.
According to her, several states, including Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Belgium, had intervened with the European Commission and invited it to take action.
While it is true that most refugees entering the Schengen area via the Balkan route come from Syria and Afghanistan, the number of migrants from Turkey, Tunisia, India, Burundi and Cuba has risen sharply since the beginning of the year.
People from these countries can travel to Serbia without a visa. Many of them then continue on their way to the EU with the help of smugglers.
