The European Union will for the first time deploy employees of the EU border control agency Frontex in the territory of the Balkan states that want to become members of the community. This is reported by the British newspaper Financial Times.

It is noted that the corresponding decision was made on the eve of the EU-Western Balkans summit, which will be held on December 6 in the capital of Albania, Tirana.

Frontex employees were sent to the Balkans due to the fact that Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and unrecognized Kosovo have visa-free agreements with third countries, including low-income countries. The newspaper writes that the EU is alarmed by the growing flow of illegal migrants who enter the EU countries through the Balkans. Thus, from January to October 2022, the number of third-country nationals who illegally arrived in the EU through the Balkan countries increased to 130,000 people. This is the highest rate since 2015.

Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas said that the regulation of the visa regime is a prerequisite for countries seeking to join the EU.

“It is unacceptable that the Western Balkans have visa agreements with third countries whose citizens take advantage of loopholes to enter the EU,” Schinas said.

According to the FT, the deployment of Frontex units in the Balkan countries could begin as early as the first months of 2023.

Earlier it was reported that Frontex illegally expelled 43,000 refugees and hid information about them.