Migration situation to change in Western Balkans, says European Commissioner

The migration situation could change in the Western Balkans thanks to decisions made at a European Union migration conference in Vienna, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi said on Tuesday.

Várhelyi told Hungarian public media after attending the conference that decisions had been made about ways to stop illegal migration, including border protection and returning illegal migrants to their country of origin.

“We increased EU resources allocated in the budget for the Western Balkans by 60 percent, to 355 million euros, in order to support this process and make the tide change in migration, and to make it clear that there is no future for illegal migrants and human smugglers,” he said.

The International centre for Migration Policy Development has held its annual conference in Vienna for the sixth time.

All the events focused on the migratory pressure on Europe and this year the participants discussed ways to build and strengthen “migration partnerships” with Europe’s neighbours.

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