Gasic, Johansson discuss illegal migration

BRUSSELS - Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic met on Monday in Brussels with EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson to discuss implementation of an EU action plan for the Western Balkans aimed at solving joint challenges in the field of irregular migration, strengthening of border management and advancement of cooperation in readmission.

Johansson commended Serbia's past efforts towards alignment with the EU visa policy and said they had contributed to a significant reduction in the number of illegal crossings and a decline in the number of asylum requests in EU member states.

Gasic noted that curbing irregular migration was a key priority for Serbia and that a working group comprised of several organisational units within the Interior Ministry was intensively active in curbing irregular migration and maintaining security on the state border, in particular on the border sections with EU states.

The parties also discussed modalities of strengthening border management and advancement of cooperation in readmission, the fight against people smuggling and trafficking as well as in the fight against organised crime and corruption.

Johansson and Gasic agreed that Serbia had demonstrated on several occasions it was a dependable partner in curbing illegal migration and fighting cross-border crime, and Johansson thanked Serbia for its very successful cooperation with Frontex as well as for steps undertaken towards signing a new agreement on the status of Serbia and the EU in Frontex operational activities being implemented in Serbia.