In Budapest, Nehammer, Vučić and Orbán spoke about increased police cooperation on border protection, combating people smugglers and joint measures to counter illegal migration flows.
According to Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), Serbia has promised to tighten its visa rules for countries from which a lot of illegal migration comes to the EU. As the Chancellor explained after a migration summit with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Monday, the Serbian regulations are to be “adapted to the requirements of the European Union” at the turn of the year.
Vučić said: “Serbia should not be exploited by those who do not come for professional reasons, but for illegal migration to the west.”
Strong increase in illegal entries
This year, Austria recorded a sharp increase in illegal entries from some non-European countries whose citizens can currently travel to Serbia without a visa. There was no concrete information at the press conference as to which countries of origin would be affected by Serbia’s stricter visa rules at the turn of the year. However, it was said in the environment that stricter regulations for the particularly affected countries such as India or Tunisia are in prospect.
The three leaders announced further trilateral follow-up meetings on migration in view of the increase in refugee flows via the Balkan route. In addition to talks at official level, there should be a meeting of ministers in Belgrade in the next few days and later a high-level meeting in Vienna, Orbán told journalists.
Orbán calls for hotspots outside the EU
The Hungarian head of government, who has been known for his tough migration policy since the 2015 refugee crisis, called for three measures: “Shifting the protective line as far south as possible” – first from the Serbian-Hungarian to the North Macedonian-Serbian border and then further. Furthermore, the European Union should take responsibility for the repatriation of migrants who do not receive asylum. And thirdly, hotspots should be set up outside the EU, where only asylum applications for the Union should be made.
Nehammer largely agreed to Hungary’s demands. The EU should act as a community towards the countries of origin and conclude joint repatriation agreements. The Chancellor hopes that a “win-win situation” could be created through economic cooperation and “working together on an equal footing”. Furthermore, the European border protection must be strengthened, he demanded. At the same time, Nehammer again rejected the distribution of asylum seekers within the EU. “The EU’s asylum system has failed. That’s more than dramatic,” he said. The Member States concerned would now have to bear the consequences.
The Chancellor was also asked about recent reports that Austrian police officers had been involved in the mistreatment of migrants at the Serbian-Hungarian border. Nehammer replied that allegations are always investigated: “We have to wait and see the result.”
For his part, Vučić emphasized: “Serbia doesn’t want to become a hotspot, we don’t want migrants to park here.” The Serbian President announced that an action plan will be drawn up at the follow-up meetings. Since the refugee crisis in 2015, Serbia has not received any concrete offers from the EU to manage the migration situation, but it has not been criticized either, he said.
Many applications from India or Tunisia – without a chance
From January to August 2022, 56,149 asylum applications were made in Austria. This means an increase of 195 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. The countries of origin Afghanistan and Syria are still at the top of the annual statistics, but countries like India and Tunisia have recently seen a dramatic increase of more than 20 times, according to the Federal Chancellery. There are more and more asylum applications from people who, because of their country of origin, have practically no chance of asylum, it said.
Hungary and Serbia have both been severely affected by the flow of refugees via the Balkan route for years. In the course of the refugee crisis in 2015, Hungary erected fences on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia and has since taken a tough stand against illegal migration. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has repeatedly condemned the country for this, and NGOs have been complaining about mistreatment of asylum seekers and rejections (pushbacks) to Serbia for years. Since August 3, 2020, Austria has been sending police officers to the Hungarian-Serbian border to work in “mixed patrols”. The number is now to be increased from 50 to 70 officers.
Hungary raises and extends border fence
The Hungarian border fence is now to be raised and extended, the Federal Chancellery said in the run-up to the summit. It is currently 175 km long and 4 meters high, so it is now to be extended by 11 km and increased by one meter.
According to official figures, 178,000 illegal border crossings were prevented from January to September this year at Hungary’s southern border. In 2021, the number was 122,000 for the entire year. According to the Belgrade Center for Asylum Assistance, more than 65,000 refugees were registered in Serbia in the first seven months of the year. According to the head of the center, Dragos Djurovic, there are on average around 10,000 refugees in the Balkan country, of whom only 4,500 are accommodated in reception camps.
(WHAT)