The leaders of Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia have reaffirmed their efforts to combat illegal migration into the European Union, stating that protecting the bloc’s external borders was the best defense and that additional EU money were required.
According to Frontex data, the number of unlawful crossings in the western Balkans decreased 79% year on year to just under 17,000 in the first nine months of 2024.
Meeting in Komarno, Slovakia, near the Hungarian border, the leaders lauded their efforts to reduce the number of migrants, primarily from the Middle East and Africa, who had entered the EU via the “Balkan route” through Serbia and Hungary.
Migrants usually move on to wealthier nations in Western Europe, such as Germany.
Illegal migration continues to be a political issue in Europe nearly a decade after the 2015 crisis, when approximately 1 million migrants entered the bloc. Arrivals last year were roughly one-third of that figure.
The issue has fueled the growth of far-right groups and compelled governments to take harder action. Last week, EU leaders agreed to develop a stricter policy to expedite the return of migrants who entered illegally.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico have long been severe critics of EU migration policy, opposing proposals like quotas for allocating migrants within the bloc.
He stated that they had addressed how a significant portion of the EU budget after 2027 should be dedicated to combating illegal migration, which constituted a severe danger.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that Serbia has seen an 80% decrease in migrants this year.
Hotspots set up in the last safe countries for migrants, for example in Africa, could be a mass solution, he said.
Italy last week began working with EU non-member Albania by sending migrants there to have their asylum requests processed, a scheme to deter boat crossings which other EU leaders have said could be a model.
Vucic said Serbia, which is not an EU member, would never agree to create hotspots for illegal migrants on its territory.
