Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina Selmo Cikotić met today in Tirana with the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.
They discussed the situation on the Western Balkan migrant route, where an increase in the number of irregular migrants has been recorded since the beginning of 2022.
Minister Cikotić informed Commissioner Johansson that despite the increased pressure, the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina successfully manage migration and that the situation on the ground, as well as in the reception centers, is satisfactory.
They also discussed the beginning of negotiations for concluding an agreement on the cooperation of FRONTEX with the remaining countries of the region, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They emphasized the importance of establishing full cooperation with EUROPOL and information exchange in the fight against organized crime and terrorism.
Minister Cikotić introduced Commissioner Johansson to the activities that BiH is carrying out to establish a common contact point for cooperation with EUROPOL.
The fight against illegal migration and cooperation with EUROPOL and FRONTEX were the topics of today’s EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Internal Affairs and Justice in Tirana.
The importance of the undertaken obligation of the countries of the Western Balkans to harmonize their visa policy with the EU was emphasized, including Serbia’s obligation to end several visa-free regimes by the end of 2022.
BiH also pointed to this problem in the previous period, considering that a significant percentage of migrants came to the territory of BiH in this way, via Serbia.
The ministers agreed to increase the exchange of information, especially through EUROPOL, improve cooperation in the fight against human trafficking and intensify the monitoring of travel, communication and financing between violent extremists, the Ministry of Security of BiH announced.
