EU, Serbia sign MoU to strengthen migration, border management cooperation

A cooperation agreement that enables improved border management operations and expanded cooperation was signed on Tuesday by the Republic of Serbia and Frontex, the agency of the European Union that oversees borders and coasts.

After starting talks in May 2023, this new agreement aims to replace the present framework that was implemented in 2021.

According to a news release from the Commission, Frontex will be able to carry out joint operations and deploy the European Border and Coast Guard standing corps wherever on the territory of Serbia” as a result of the agreement.

Along with other border management cooperation agreements with Moldova, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania, Frontex currently has over 480 police deployed in the Western Balkans, with 111 officers already stationed in Serbia.

Furthermore, the agreement is part of the EU’s wider Action Plan on the Western Balkans presented by the Commission in 2022, which was introduced with the aim of decreasing migratory pressures and secondary movements on the Western Balkans route.

It also seeks to enhance security across the EU and its borders by reinforcing border management and preventing illegal migration and cross-border crime.

According to the European Council, the Western Balkans route, which runs through Turkey, Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, and Serbia, is one of the main migratory routes into Europe and thus the EU, peaking in 2015 with record-breaking irregular migration arrivals.

The agreement is subject to an approval process for final entry into force, which is contingent on the assent of the European Parliament and the council implementing the agreement’s final conclusion, as well as the completion of Serbia’s national ratification procedure.