European Asylum Support Office publishes report on asylum seekers in the EU from the Western Balkans

Date: 
Tuesday, November 26, 2013

This week EASO published a report on asylum applications from the Western Balkans, in which it examined factors influencing asylum applications from the Western Balkan region to EU Member States and Associated Countries. Included within the EASO-grouped category of ‘Western Balkans’ are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. EASO identifies the transition from communism to democracy, revenge killings, societal problems faced by minority ethnic groups (e.g. discrimination against Roma), fragile labour markets, inadequate education systems, and deficient health systems as so-called “push factors”, i.e. reasons for seeking asylum. According to EASO, “pull factors”, i.e. what influences the asylum seekers’ choice of destination country, include the length of asylum procedures, the amount of cash benefits paid during lengthy procedures, geographical proximity, possibility to find work, and the existence of a diaspora in the destination country.

EASO reports that EU Member States and Associated Countries have responded to the increase in applications from the Western Balkans with a number of measures aimed at dissuading the asylum seekers’ choice of destination country, including the introduction of accelerated procedures for manifestly unfounded applications (by means of so-called “safe country of origin” concepts), reduction of cash benefits, and strengthening of voluntary or forced return programmes. Furthermore, border states to Western Balkan countries have tightened border controls in order to dissuade persons from crossing the border at all.Read EASO's full report and press release.


This item was reproduced with the permission of ECRE from the weekly ELENA legal update supported by the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Funding Programme and distributed by email. The purpose of these updates is to inform asylum lawyers and legal organizations supporting asylum seekers and refugees of recent developments in the field of asylum law. Please note that the information provided is taken from publicly available information on the internet. Every reasonable effort is made to make the content accurate and up to date at the time each item is published but no responsibility for its accuracy and correctness, or for any consequences of relying on it, is assumed by ECRE, the IRC or its partners.

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EASO