SARAJEVO
The European Parliament (EP) adopted on Thursday a clause allowing European Union (EU) member states to suspend the visa-free regime for western Balkan countries.
At the European Union (EU) level, the number of asylum seekers from the western Balkans has been growing since 2009 with most migrating to Germany, Sweden and Belgium. According to data from the European Union Agency for External Border Security (Frontex), among the Balkan countries about 48 percent of asylum applications in EU countries were from Serbia in 2012, 22 percent from Macedonia, 15 percent from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13 percent from Albania and two percent from Montenegro.
Frontex says the most popular countries for asylum seekers are Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
The European Stability Initiative's (ESI) study from January 2013 states that the number of asylum seekers from the western Balkans has been on the rise since the citizens of these countries abolished visas for travel to the EU. These persons are typically trying to take advantage of social assistance and other benefits in accordance with the laws of the country in which they arrive.
According to data from several European countries, the percentage of affirmative decisions regarding asylum was only three percent.
The citizens of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania can travel to Schengen zone countries without visas.
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