Le nombre des déplacements des ressortissants des pays des Balkans a augmenté considérablement lorsque l’UE a décidé qu’ils n’auraient plus besoin d’un visa pour entrer sur le territoire de l’UE.

Or les autorités macédoniennes ont pris des mesures fortes pour empêcher leurs citoyens de se rendre dans des pays de l’Union européenne - et d’y demander l’asile.

Les gouvernements des pays de l’UE ont réagi à cette situation et prévenu que l’ensemble du processus de libéralisation des visas pourrait être menacé.

Thomas Hammarberg Commissaire aux droits de l’homme, publie sur son blog un texte rappelant que le droit de quitter son pays doit s’appliquer sans discrimination

Strong measures have been taken by the Macedonian authorities to prevent citizens from travelling to EU countries - and seeking asylum there. The numbers doing so have gone up considerably since the EU agreed that people in Balkan countries would no longer require visas to enter EU territory. Governments within the EU have reacted and warned that the entire process of visa liberalisation might now be in jeopardy.

In response the government in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” has decided to criminalise “abuse of the European Union visa-free regime and of the Schengen agreement”. It has also determined that those who have been forcibly returned as failed asylum seekers could have their passports temporarily confiscated.

Other countries in the region have also taken steps to prevent certain people from travelling to EU countries. Those who seek to leave for the EU area are asked to justify the purpose of their intended travel and to prove that they can finance their stay there as well as their return. If the answers are deemed unsatisfactory the travel may not be allowed.