Serbia To Continue Coordinating Visa Policy With EU - Presidential Office

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic met on Thursday with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and reaffirmed Belgrade's commitment to further coordination of its visa policy with the European Union

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2023) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic met on Thursday with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and reaffirmed Belgrade's commitment to further coordination of its visa policy with the European Union.

"The President emphasized that Serbia continues to actively work on the process of coordination of its visa policy with the EU, and in this sense, along with the adoption of additional measures, it is planned to introduce a visa regime for those countries in connection with which the largest number of violations have been registered," the presidential press office said.

Johansson and Gasic visited the Horgos checkpoint on the border with Hungary, where, in addition to the Serbian police, the officers of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency have been deployed.

"Since the beginning of this year, 881 illegal crossing attempts have been prevented on the border with Hungary, compared to 172 in the same period last year. Serbia will continue to coordinate its visa policy with the EU," Gasic said in a statement released by the interior ministry.

According to Serbian law enforcement agencies, the increase in the number of illegal migrants in 2022 amounted to 191% compared to the previous year. In addition, the Ukraine conflict has forced thousands of people to emigrate to neighboring countries, including Serbia.