Frontex Warns Russian, Chinese and Turkish Nationals Misusing Visa-Free Access to the Western Balkans 

Frontex (Photo: Prt.Scr)

In its latest Annual Risk Analysis 2026/2027, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) warns that nationals from China, Russia, and Turkey are using visa-free access in the Western Balkans as a stepping stone for onward irregular entry into the European Union (EU).

In the report, Frontex warns that migration dynamics in the Western Balkans will continue to reflect developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the key source and transit areas, and that certain nationalities will persist in misusing visa-free access to the Western Balkans, including Turks, Chinese, Russians and “Jordanian passport holders of Palestinian origin.”  

The EU agency also said that the overall pressure will be moderated by police operations, seasonality and the deterrent effect of smuggler violence and kidnappings, operated by migrant-smuggling networks, but warned that misuse of visa-free access will resume. 

In the report, published on its website, Frontex also said that visa policy misalignment in the Western Balkans continues is still facilitating the use of air routes into states neighboring the EU as a stepping stone for onward irregular entry into the EU.

The Western Balkan corridor, traversing Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia toward Slovenia and Austria, is likely to remain the dominant transit pathway for secondary flows originating from the Eastern Mediterranean route, Frontex said in the report. 

Meanwhile, the EU has repeatedly demanded from the countries in the region to tighten their visa regime for to prevent such abuses.