Bratislav Gasic, Ylva Johansson (BETAPHOTO: MUP SERBIA)
In a Feb. 20 talk with Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic in Brussels, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson praised Serbia's recent efforts to align with the European Union's visa policy, stressing that this contributed to a considerable reduction in illegal border crossings and a reduced number of asylum requests in EU member countries.
Gasic and Johansson discussed the implementation of the EU Action Plan for the Western Balkans to solve shared challenges presented by irregular migration, bolster border management, advance cooperation in readmission, curb smuggling and people trafficking, and fight organized crime and corruption, the Serbian ministry said in a press release.
The two officials agreed that Serbia had proven over and over to be a reliable partner in curbing illegal migration and fighting cross-border crime, and the commissioner thanked Serbia for highly successful cooperation with Frontex and for the steps taken to finalize a new agreement on the status of Serbia and the EU in operational activities undertaken by Frontex in Serbia.
Gasic stressed that the working group, comprised of several organizational units of the Interior Ministry, was very active in curbing irregular migration and preserving state border security, especially on borders with EU countries.
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