REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL SIXTH REPORT UNDER THE VISA SUSPENSION MECHANISM
Date: 2023-10-18
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU migration policy, EU visa policy, corruption, external border of the EU, free movement of persons, judicial cooperation, money laundering, organised crime, right of asylum, terrorism, third country

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 18.10.2023  COM(2023) 730 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL SIXTH REPORT UNDER THE VISA SUSPENSION MECHANISM  
 
 
Contents 

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 2 

I. 

1. 

COUNTRIES IN THE EU’S NEIGHBOURHOOD ...................................................................... 5 

COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN VISA-FREE FOR LESS THAN 7 YEARS ........................ 5 

GEORGIA ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 

UKRAINE ................................................................................................................................................... 10 

2. 

COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN VISA-FREE FOR MORE THAN 7 YEARS ................... 15 

ALBANIA .................................................................................................................................................... 15 

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA .............................................................................................................. 18 

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA ..................................................................................................................... 21 

MONTENEGRO ......................................................................................................................................... 24 

NORTH MACEDONIA ............................................................................................................................. 27 

SERBIA ....................................................................................................................................................... 30 

II. 

OTHER VISA-FREE COUNTRIES ............................................................................................. 34 

VISA-FREE COUNTRIES OPERATING INVESTOR CITIZENSHIP SCHEMES .......................... 34 

VANUATU .................................................................................................................................................. 35 

EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES .......................................................................................................... 37 

CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 39 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
INTRODUCTION 

Visa liberalisation is a pillar of the EU’s cooperation on migration, security, and justice. It facilitates 
mobility and people-to-people contacts. 

Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (the ‘Visa Regulation’)1 requires the Commission to ensure 
an appropriate monitoring of the continuous fulfilment of the visa exemption requirements by those 
countries whose nationals obtained visa-free access to the EU following the successful completion of 
a visa liberalisation dialogue. To this end, since 2017 the Commission has adopted five reports under 
the Visa Suspension Mechanism2, covering the visa-free countries in the Western Balkans (Albania, 
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) and in the Eastern Partnership 
(Georgia, the Republic of Moldova – referred to below as Moldova –, and Ukraine). 

Building on the findings of these reports, and on the overall monitoring of the visa-free regimes that 
the EU has in place across the world3, the Commission adopted on 30 May 2023 a Communication4 
that  highlighted  the  main  challenges  in  the  areas  of  irregular  migration  and  security  linked  to  the 
functioning of visa-free regimes and the main shortcomings of the current visa suspension mechanism, 
setting out a consultation process on the possible ways to address those challenges and improve the 
mechanism.  

One of the aspects covered by the Communication concerned the need for a reinforced monitoring of 
visa-free countries, in line with the European Council conclusions of 9 February 20235. As announced 
in President von der Leyen’s letter to the European Council of 20 March 2023, the Commission is 
presenting today a legislative proposal to revise the visa suspension mechanism6 as well as  a new 
strategic and comprehensive Visa suspension mechanism report.  One of the main objectives of the 
proposal  is  to  strengthen the Commission’s  monitoring and reporting  tasks, introducing  an explicit 
possibility for the Visa suspension mechanism report to cover other geographical areas beyond the EU 
neighbouring  countries, focusing  on  those  third  countries  presenting  specific  problems  that,  if  not 
addressed, may lead to trigger the suspension mechanism. 

On the one hand, as required by Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, the report assesses the 
continuous compliance with the visa liberalisation requirements  of countries that have completed a 
visa liberalisation dialogue less than seven years ago (Georgia and Ukraine). On the other hand, the 
reporting on the countries that have completed a visa liberalisation dialogue more than seven years ago 
(Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia)7 is targeted 

1 

2 

3  
4  

5  

6  
7   

Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 listing the third 
countries  whose  nationals  must  be  in  possession  of  visas  when  crossing  the  external  borders  and  those  whose 
nationals are exempt from that requirement, OJ L 303, 28.11.2018, p. 39. 
COM(2017) 815 final (first report); COM(2018) 856 final (second report); COM(2020) 325 final (third report); 
COM(2021) 602 final (fourth report), COM/2022/715 final/2 (fifth report). 
As listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. 
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the monitoring of the EU's 
visa free regimes, COM/2023/297 final. 
Special 
Conclusions, 
Council 
https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-1-2023-INIT/en/pdf.  The  European  Council  emphasised  that 
‘visa policy alignment by neighbouring countries is of urgent and crucial importance for migration management as 
well  as  for  the  overall  good  functioning  and  sustainability  of  visa-free  regimes  where  relevant’,  and  that  ‘the 
monitoring of neighbouring countries’ visa policies should be strengthened’. 
COM(2023)642. 
Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 only requires the Commission to report for a period of seven years after 
the date of entry into force of visa liberalisation for those third countries; thereafter, the Commission may continue 
to report whenever it considers it to be necessary, or upon request by the European Parliament or by the Council. 

European 

February 

meeting 

2023) 

the 

(9 

of 

– 

2 

 
 
 
on  specific  challenges  linked  to  the  visa-free  regimes  with  these  countries,  such  as  visa  policy 
alignment, investor citizenship schemes, readmission cooperation and unfounded asylum applications.  

For all eight countries, issues related to benchmarks addressed through the visa liberalisation dialogues 
that the countries have completed are assessed as part of the enlargement process, under Chapter 23, 
Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, and Chapter 24, Justice and Home Affairs, and are reported on in-
depth  in  the  upcoming  Commission’s  annual  enlargement  package.  In  particular,  the  enlargement 
package  also  reports  in  detail  on  the  efforts  by  candidate  countries  and  potential  candidates  to 
strengthen  the  rule  of  law  and  the  fight  against  corruption.  These  are  parts  of  the  so-called 
“fundamentals”,  which  are  a  cornerstone  of  the  accession  process  and  will  determine  the  partners’ 
overall pace of progress on their path towards the EU. 

With regard to the Western Balkans, the report builds on the ongoing implementation of the EU Action 
Plan to address migration along the route presented by the Commission on 5 December 20228. The 
Action Plan has responded, among other challenges, to the surge of irregular migration to the EU via 
the Western Balkan route in 2022. The increased crossings of the external borders of Member States 
were – to some extent – the results of secondary movements passing through the region and visa-free 
arrivals in the Western Balkans, travelling onwards to the EU. The Action Plan has helped to ensure 
that arrivals have reduced, and aims at developing common, coordinated action at EU level but also at 
further strengthening cooperation between the EU and Western Balkan partners on migration matters. 
The  Action  Plan  covers  border  management,  asylum  and  reception  capacities,  fighting  migrant 
smuggling, readmission cooperation and returns as well as visa policy alignment.  

Overall, a good pace of delivery has been maintained in  all these policy areas, thanks to enhanced 
engagement and outreach to all Western Balkan partners at all levels. However, work needs to continue 
on the implementation of the Action Plan. Irregular migration remains a key challenge for the Western 
Balkan  partners.  Combating  migrant  smuggling  and  trafficking  in  human  beings  remain  priorities. 
While visa requirements have been reintroduced in the region for some key nationalities behind the 
increase in irregular arrival in 2022, ensuring further visa alignment is necessary. The Commission has 
stepped-up its financial support with total funding for migration-related activities in the region under 
the Instrument for pre-accession (IPA III) amounting to EUR 291.9 million (2021-2023). 

In 2023, as of 31 August, 62 967 irregular border crossings on entry to EU Member States along the 
Western Balkans route have been registered9. This represents a decrease by 28% compared to the same 
period of 2022, in large part resulting from the ongoing process of visa alignment by Western Balkan 
partners. The main nationalities observed on the route remain Syrians, Afghans and Turks.  

The report draws upon contributions from the eight countries covered, the European External Action 
Service  and  the  EU  delegations,  the  relevant  EU  justice  and  home  affairs  agencies10  and  Member 
States. Seventeen Member States provided contributions on relevant examples of cooperation with the 
countries in question, in the areas of migration and security. These contributions have informed the 
relevant assessments contained in the report.  

8  
9  

10 

https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-12/Western%20Balkans_en.pdf  
Operational  data,  Frontex,  https://www.frontex.europa.eu/what-we-do/monitoring-and-risk-analysis/migratory-
map/    
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the 
European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), and the European Union Agency for Law 
Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). 

3 

 
 
 
This sixth report assesses actions taken by the concerned countries in 2022, with updates for 2023, 
where  deemed  to  have  a  significant  impact  on  this  year’s  recommendations.  It  also  reports  on 
operational  cooperation  with  the  EU  and  with  Member  States11,  and  it  includes  an  overview  of 
migration trends12 reflecting Eurostat data for the 2022 statistical year, including changes compared 
with 2021. 

As announced in the Communication of 30 May 2023, and already implementing the new approach 
set out in the legislative proposal on the revision of the suspension mechanism, the report also covers, 
for the first time, other geographical areas beyond countries in the EU’s neighbourhood, focusing on 
visa-free countries where specific issues have arisen and where further cooperation may be needed to 
address specific migration and/or security challenges that could be assessed under the visa suspension 
mechanism.  Following  up  to  one  of  the  main  challenges  identified  in  the  above-mentioned 
Communication,  section  II  of  the  report  assesses  the  visa-free  countries  that  operate  investor 
citizenship  schemes.  Investor  citizenship  schemes  (or  citizenship-by-investment  programmes,  also 
commonly referred to as “golden passports”) run by third countries with visa-free access to the EU 
may present a number of security risks for the EU. These schemes grant citizenship rights on the basis 
of local investments or against a flat fee, with low or no residence requirements, weak security checks 
and  no  genuine  connection  with  the  third  country  in  question.  The  third countries  concerned  often 
advertise those schemes as ‘golden passports’ with the express purpose of allowing visa-free travel to 
the Union to third-country nationals that would otherwise be visa required. Such schemes can allow 
their  beneficiaries  to  bypass  the  regular  Schengen  visa  procedure  and  the  in-depth  assessment  of 
individual migratory and security risks it entails, including a possible evasion of measures to prevent 
money laundering and financing of terrorism13.  

The Commission is monitoring all visa-free third countries operating investor citizenship schemes.  At 
the moment, a number of visa-free third countries are under close scrutiny due to the potential risks 
raised by their investor citizenship schemes, or their plans to establish such schemes.  

11 

12 

13 

For this report, the term ‘Member States’ refers to Member States applying Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (‘the Visa 
Regulation’), i.e. all current Member States (except Ireland) and Schengen Associated Countries. 
While the visa liberalisation benchmarks relating to migration are limited to migration policies of the third countries 
concerned, the section on migration trends reflects irregular migration to Member States, refusals of entry issued by 
Member States, and applications for international protection lodged in Member States by nationals of the countries 
covered in the report. 
Report  From  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the  Committee of the Regions on Investor Citizenship and Residence Schemes in the European 
Union, COM (2019) 12 final,  page 23. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
I.  COUNTRIES IN THE EU’S NEIGHBOURHOOD 

1.  COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN VISA-FREE FOR LESS THAN 7 YEARS 

GEORGIA 

1.  Visa policy alignment 

Georgia has a visa-free regime with 24 countries that are on the EU list of visa-required countries14: 
Armenia,  Azerbaijan,  Bahrain,  Belarus,  Belize,  Botswana,  Dominican  Republic,  Ecuador,  Iran, 
Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, 
Tajikistan, Thailand, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.  

Georgia made no progress towards further visa policy alignment in 2022. 

2.  Document security, including biometrics  

Georgia has issued biometric passports since 2010. Non-biometric passports will be fully phased out 
by 1 January 2025, when the last ones currently in circulation will expire. As part of cooperation with 
Interpol, Georgia exchanges information on lost and stolen passports. 

3.  Integrated border management, migration management, asylum 

Georgia continued efforts to address the issue of unfounded asylum applications filed by its citizens in 
the Member States. Based on a new entry-exit law entered into force in January 2021, in 2022 the 
Georgian  authorities  have  carried  out  ‘exit-control  checks’  at  the  Georgian  border  crossing  points. 
Georgia reports that during the period 2021/2022 this system allowed to prevent departures of a total 
of 4 677 citizens of Georgia that were considered to represent a risk of irregular migration to the EU. 

The Georgian authorities made further efforts to  address this issue  through criminal prosecution of 
persons and groups involved in smuggling of migrants, including those involved in providing false 

14  

Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
information on prospects for submitting successful asylum requests in the EU. The number of people 
effectively charged remains however low (11 in 2022). 

Georgia cooperates regularly with concerned EU Member States on issues related to visa-free travel, 
including the prevention of irregular stay of Georgian citizens. In 2022, this cooperation included the 
deployment of 16 Georgian police officers in some EU Member States, to assist local law enforcement 
authorities, with eight joint operations conducted. 

Georgia  has  a  regular  cooperation  with  Frontex,  based  on  a  Working  Arrangement  on  operational 
cooperation  renewed  in  2021.  A  number  of  Frontex  officers  are  deployed  to  land  and  sea  border 
crossing points as well as to Tbilisi and Kutaisi international airports. Georgian police officers have 
also been deployed to concerned EU Member States’ airports. The main purpose of this cooperation 
is to prevent the abuse of visa-free travel by Georgian citizens, including by lodging unfounded asylum 
applications.   

Georgia cooperated closely with Member States on readmission. The rate of positive decisions by the 
Georgian authorities on readmission requests averages 98% for the whole period 2017-2022. Georgia 
also cooperated very closely on returns, including on repatriation flights for return purposes. In 2022 
Georgian escorts took part in Frontex training on collecting return operations15, in order to ensure the 
highest EU standards during the implementation of such operations. Several Member States as well as 
Frontex welcomed the good cooperation with Georgia with regard to the use of repatriation flights for 
return purposes. 

4.  Monitoring  trends  in  irregular  migration,  applications  for  international  protection, 

returns and readmission  

In 2022, the number of applications for international protection by nationals of Georgia in Member 
States increased by 81% compared to 2021, with 26 450 applications lodged in 2022 (14 635 in 2021). 
The recognition rate16 increased from 5% in 2021 to 7% in 2022. 

In 2022, there were 25 irregular border crossings of Georgian nationals to Member States. In 2022, the 
number of Georgian nationals found to be irregularly staying in Member States rose by 87%, with 21 
910  people  in  2022  against  11  695  in  2021.  The  number  of  refusals  of  entry  issued  to  Georgian 
nationals increased by 31%, from 3 030 in 2021 to 3 970 in 2022. 

In 2022, the number of return decisions issued to nationals of Georgia rose by 50% (16 275 in 2022 
compared with 10 820 in 2021) as did the number of people returned (7 760 in 2022 compared with 4 
935 in 2021, a rise of 57%). The return rate slightly improved, from 46% in 2021 to 48% 2022. 

15  

16  

In collecting return operations returnees are picked up from the departure airport by the authorities of their country 
of destination. The means of transport and escort officers are provided by that non-EU country. 
For this report, the recognition rate is calculated as the share of positive decisions at first instance (including Geneva 
protection, subsidiary protection, and humanitarian status) in the total number of decisions at first instance. For a 
definition, 
https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/pages/glossary/recognition-rate-procedures-international-
protection_en    

see 

6 

 
 
 
Georgia

Asylum applications
(Recognition rate %)

Irregular stays

14635 (5%)

26450
(7%)

11695

21910

Refusals of entry

3970

3030

0

5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000

2022

2021

Source: Eurostat 

5.  Public order and security 

Georgia  continued  efforts  to  fight  against  corruption.  In  2022,  the  Parliament  adopted  legislation 
establishing the Anti-Corruption Bureau, an agency in charge of the development of anti-corruption 
policy and the monitoring of its  implementation. Its competence includes  the monitoring of assets’ 
declarations  of  high-level  officials  and  of  financial  activities  of  political  parties,  the  protection  of 
whistle-blowers,  as  well  as  the  identification  and  prevention  of  conflicts  of  interest  in  public 
institutions.  

The framework for policy coordination is in place, but the main anti-corruption policy coordination 
platform, the National Anti-Corruption Council, has not met since 2019. Pursuant to the establishment 
of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, some aspects of policy coordination were assigned to the Bureau. The 
mandates  of  the  Bureau  and  the  Council,  especially  in  the  policy  development  and  monitoring 
domains, need to be clearly delineated. At the end of September 2023, Georgia sent a request for an 
opinion to the Venice Commission regarding its existing laws on the setting up of the Anti-Corruption 
Bureau and on the Special Investigation Service.    

On  the  operational  level,  the  fight  against  corruption  is  the  responsibility  of  the  Anti-Corruption 
Agency of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG). The task was also carried out by the Civil 
Service  Bureau,  which  supports  the  implementation  of  the  anti-corruption  policy  amongst  civil 
servants in Georgia, with one of its main responsibilities being the management of the asset and interest 
declaration scheme for public officials. In the first nine months of 2022, a total of 115 people were 
prosecuted for corruption and 95 were convicted. The responsibility for asset declarations has now 
been handed over to Anti-corruption Bureau. 

High-level corruption remains an area to be addressed and in particular the challenge of large-scale 
vested interests and their influence in both the political, judicial and economic spheres.  In February 
2023, Georgia withdrew from the OECD anti-corruption monitoring network for Eastern Europe and 
Central Asia (OECD/CAN). 

Georgia is a participating state of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO). It has implemented 
or dealt with eight of the 16 recommendations contained in the 4th Round Evaluation Report. In May 
2023, Georgia implemented one outstanding GRECO recommendation by widening the scope of the 

7 

 
 
 
asset declaration regime to cover all prosecutors. A recommendation about limiting the immunity of 
judges to activities relating to their participation in judicial decision-making (“functional immunity”) 
remains to be implemented. 

Georgia made an effort to improve the legal tools on the fight against money laundering and terrorism 
financing, by increasing the powers of the Financial Monitoring Service (FMS) and creating a Standing 
Interagency Commission. The commission is tasked with developing and submitting to the government 
the National AML/CFT Strategy and Action Plan for the period 2023-2025. The first working session 
of the commission was held on 20 September 2022. On the operational level, new guidelines were 
adopted in May 2022 on seizure of virtual currency, which is now frequently used by investigators and 
prosecutors in criminal cases concerning money laundering.  

On  the  fight  against  terrorism,  the  new  National  Counter-terrorism  Strategy  of  2022-2026  and  its 
corresponding  Action  Plan  were  adopted  in  January  2022.  The  strategy  includes  the  adoption  of  a 
financial sanctions mechanism and takes into account the recommendations of the Financial Action 
Task Force (FATF) and those of Moneyval’s 2020 Report on Georgia17. The State Security Service of 
Georgia (SSSG) continued actively to cooperate with Europol, joining the Counter Terrorism Joint 
Liaison Team (CT JLT) and participating in analytical projects, including Terrorist Finance Tracking 
Programme (TFTP).  

Under the National Strategy for Combating Organised Crime 2021-2024, Georgian law enforcement 
agencies are focusing their efforts on tackling cybercrime and drug trafficking towards the EU, the 
latter  being  a  source  of  considerable  profits  for  criminal  groups.  Georgia  reported  an  increase  of 
relevant  personnel  in  2022,  an  effort  to  increase  the  interagency  cooperation  and  the  launching  of 
public awareness campaigns, especially on dangers linked to cybercrime. Georgia also made efforts to 
introduce  the  concepts  of  ‘Community  Oriented  Policing  and  Intelligence  Led  Policing’  in  its  law 
enforcement agencies, based amongst others on the results of the EU-funded project “Support the Fight 
against Organised Crime in Georgia”18.   

Georgia maintains a network of police attachés in numerous EU Member states and a Liaison Office 
at Europol. Cooperation is particularly close with European Serious Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC) 
of Europol, dealing with criminal groups based in the countries covered by the Eastern Partnership. 
Georgia is also actively  involved in European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats 
(EMPACT) activities. In 2022, Georgia participated in 8 Operational Action Plans out of 15 and  a 
National  EMPACT  Coordinator  (NEC)  was  nominated.  A  Working  Arrangement  with  CEPOL, 
replacing the previous Cooperation Agreement, was signed on 22 June 2022.  

In September 2022, Georgia signed a second technical cooperation working arrangement document 
with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Several national 
data collection systems are available in Georgia, some compatible with EMCDDA protocols. 

Georgia is a beneficiary of the ‘EMCDDA4GE’ project, which is focused on knowledge transfer and 
capacity building in the areas of drug monitoring, reporting, prevention and treatment. 

On  28  September  2022,  Georgia  concluded  a  working  arrangement  with  the  European  Public 
Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). As part of its cooperation with Eurojust, in 2022 Georgia took part in two 

17  
18  

https://rm.coe.int/moneyval-2020-20-5th-round-mer-georgia/1680a03271  
https://police.ge/en/ministry/structure-and-offices/international-relations-department/donor-
coordination/proeqtebis-shesakheb/ongoing-projects/teqnikuri-daxmareba-organizaciuli-danashauli  

8 

 
 
 
joint  investigation  teams  with  EU  counterparts.  Georgia  has  appointed  a  Liaison  Prosecutor  at 
Eurojust. 

6.  External relations and fundamental rights 

In the Fifth Visa Suspension Mechanism Report,  the Commission recommended that Georgia fully 
align  the  procedure  for  appointing  Supreme  Court  judges  with  the  Venice  Commission’s 
recommendations19, and adopt and implement legislation evaluating the integrity and performance of 
Supreme Court judges.  

Georgia  has  not  yet  fully  implemented  the  relevant  Venice  Commission  recommendations.  An 
effective right of appeal  for candidates in  the appointment procedure of the Supreme Court judges 
remains to be ensured by clarifying the binding nature of the Supreme Court decision for the High 
Council of Justice. Georgia has not initiated the process of preparing legislation on additional integrity 
checks for Supreme Court judges with the participation of international experts with a casting vote. 

In  the Fifth  Visa  Suspension  Mechanism  Report,  the  Commission  recommended  also  that  Georgia 
ensures the independence of its data protection authority, the Personal Data Protection Service (PDPS). 
A new law on data protection was adopted in June 2023 and sent to the Venice Commission for opinion 
in September 2023. The law is aimed at aligning Georgia’s legislation with the EU acquis and overall 
provides  for  improvements  in  comparison  to  the  2011  law.  However,  several  issues  are  still  to  be 
addressed, notably regarding rules on international data transfers and certain exemptions/limitations 
to data protection rights. 

7.  Recommendations 

Overall, Georgia continues to fulfil the visa liberalisation benchmarks and has taken action to address 
the Commission’s previous recommendations. However, further efforts are needed. In particular, the 
following issues need to be further addressed: 

a)  Align  Georgia’s visa policy with  the EU’s list of visa-required third countries, in  particular 

with regard to countries presenting irregular migration or security risks to the EU. 

b)  Step up action  to  address  the issue of unfounded asylum applications and irregular stays in 

Member States. 

c)  Participate in the actions of the EMPACT Operational Action Plan on Migrant Smuggling. 

d)  Set up an Asset Recovery Office and Asset Management Office, and to step up asset recovery 

efforts from asset tracing, freezing, management, confiscation and disposal. 

e)  Adopt a new Anti-corruption strategy and Action plan, ensuring adequate resources for their 
implementation  and  pay  special  attention  to  investigation,  prosecution,  and  adjudication  of 
high-level corruption cases. 

f)  Ensure that legislation on the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Special Investigation Service and 
the  Personal  Data  Protection  Service  address  the  recommendations  from  the  Venice 
Commission. 

19  

Recommendations provided in the opinion N949/2019 of the Venice Commission, adopted on 24 June 2019, then 
also on 30 September 2020 and 1 April 2021.  

9 

 
 
 
 
 
UKRAINE 

On 24 February 2022, Russia started its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. This was met 
with an unprecedented and unified response by the European Union and the international community. 
A key component of that response was the unanimous decision by Member States on a proposal of the 
Commission  to  activate  the  Temporary  Protection  Directive  (TPD)20,  which  granted  temporary 
protection to Ukrainian nationals (and other categories of persons) displaced from Ukraine on or after 
24 February 2022. The Council agreed on 28 September 2023, based on a Commission proposal, to 
extend the TPD from 4 March 2024 to 4 March 2025. 

Since then, the visa-free regime between the EU and Ukraine has facilitated travel to and from Ukraine, 
supporting the implementation of temporary protection in the EU.. 

1.  Visa policy alignment 

Ukraine has a visa-free regime with 15 countries that are on the EU list of visa-required countries: 
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Oman, 
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan.  

There was no progress towards more alignment with the EU list of visa-required countries in 2022.  

2.  Document security, including biometrics 

Ukraine has been issuing biometric passports since 2015. The last non-biometric passports were issued 
in 2016, and their complete phase-out is planned for 2026, when they will expire. 

Operations of the State Migration Service (SMS), which is part of the Ministry of Interior, in charge 
of passports, were suspended on 24 February 2022, but resumed once the necessary equipment was 
moved to a safe territory. Currently, all information systems of the SMS are working on a regular basis, 
except in territories under illegal Russian occupation.  

On 28 February 2022, an exceptional measure was adopted, allowing for extension of the validity of 
passports for up to five years and inserting children's photo cards to their parents' passports, to allow 
Ukrainian  citizens  to  travel  to  the  EU.  On  18  October  2022,  this  temporary  procedure  was  also 
extended to cases of need for emergency travels, e.g. urgent need for medical treatment, or death of a 
relative abroad.  

Exchange of information on stolen and lost documents between relevant authorities of Ukraine and its 
transmission  to  the  INTERPOL  databases  on  stolen  and  lost  documents  was  carried  out  without 
interruption, including after the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression.  

3.  Integrated border management, migration management, asylum 

Russia’s full-scale invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine provoked the largest population 
movement in Europe since World War II. Millions of Ukrainians were forced to leave their places of 
residence and go abroad or to the western regions of Ukraine. The displacement situation of people 
affected  by  Russia’s  war  of  aggression  against  Ukraine  is  constantly  changing,  depending  on  the 
development of hostilities. 

20  

Council  Implementing  Decision  (EU) 2022/382  of 4 March  2022  establishing  the  existence  of  a  mass  influx  of 
displaced persons from Ukraine within the meaning of Article 5 of Directive 2001/55/EC, and having the effect of 
introducing temporary protection, ST/6846/2022/INIT, OJ L 71, 4.3.2022, p. 1–6. 

10 

 
 
 
After 24 February 2022, the management of borders of Ukraine was impacted by Russia’s aggression. 
Some border sectors were occupied by Russia, others became a war zone. In areas bordering Russia, 
Belarus and the Transnistrian segment of the border with Moldova all 111 crossing points were closed 
for security reasons. Significant quantities of specialised equipment were lost (captured or destroyed). 
While Ukrainian border guards, like other institutions in the home affairs sector, have been  heavily 
engaged in the country’s defence and civil protection efforts, border checkpoints remained effective, 
demonstrating remarkable resilience and operational capabilities. 

The preparation of a new integrated border management Action Plan for 2023-2025 has begun and 
should address the restoration of border management on the de-occupied sections of the state border. 
Pending the adoption of the new Action Plan, the work continues on the outstanding actions of the 
2020-2022 Action Plan.   

In  wartime  conditions  after  24  February  2022,  Ukraine  continued  the  cooperation  on  border 
management with EU partners, both Member States and EU agencies, especially Frontex. Amongst 
others, a joint analysis of threats to border security was carried out together with Slovakia, Poland, 
Hungary, Romania and Moldova and a joint Ukrainian-German analysis on border management was 
conducted with the Federal Police of Germany. However, Frontex personnel  supporting Ukraine in 
airports and at border crossing points was withdrawn because of the Russian aggression. 

The potential increase of firearms smuggling is a concern for the EU and Ukraine. In February 2023, 
the EU started implementing the `EU list of action to counter firearms and other small arms and light 
weapons diversion in the context of Russia´s aggression against Ukraine´.21 There is a specific focus 
on making full use of border security measures at the EU´s external borders to detect smuggling of 
firearms  and  where  Member  States  (especially  customs  and  border  guards/coast  guards),  Frontex, 
EMPACT,  Europol  and  the  European  Union  Border  Assistance  Mission  to  Moldova  and  Ukraine 
(EUBAM) are the main actors.  

Ukraine continues to take action against irregular migration. In 2022, immigration officers detected 5 
062  migrants  in  an  irregular  situation,  336  of  whom  had  irregularly  entered  the  territory,  and  26 
criminal groups involved in migrants’ smuggling were dismantled.   

Asylum  applications  continued  to  be  examined  in  Ukraine  in  2022,  with  205  people  applying  for 
protection and 46 positive decisions. At the end of 2022 there were 2 523 recognized refugees recorded 
as living in Ukraine.   

4.  Monitoring  trends  in  migration,  temporary  protection,  applications  for  international 

protection, and readmission 

As of February 2022, more than 16 million entries into the EU by persons fleeing the war have been 
recorded, out of which 14 million were Ukrainian nationals, while the border crossing of Ukrainian 
nationals from the EU to Ukraine amounted to 11.4 million.22 Entries were significantly higher during 
the first months of the Russian aggression, with a weekly average of 800 000 entries, reaching peaks 
of over 200 000 daily entries  at  the EU  border  with  Ukraine.  From April 2022 onwards, the trend 

21  
22  

https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-6929-2023-INIT/en/pdf  
Figures on entries and exits indicate the number of cross-border movements, not single individuals. 

11 

 
 
 
stabilised to around 240 000 entries per week and the number of border crossings between the EU and 
Ukraine went back to pre-aggression and pre-pandemic levels23. 
Following the above-mentioned activation of the Temporary Protection Directive, 4 271 890 Ukrainian 
citizens  were  granted  temporary  protection  in  the  EU  and  in  the  Associated  Countries  in  2022. 
Additionally,  in  2022,  27  135  Ukrainians  applied    for  international  protection  in  Member  States, 
(compared to 6 250 in 2021), with a recognition rate of 88% (compared to 17% in 2021). Member 
States did not report any issues in the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Readmission agreement. 

5.  Public order and security 

Following the granting to Ukraine of the status of candidate to join the EU in June 2022, the Ukrainian 
government launched a reform of the overall Ukrainian law enforcement sector, which is in progress.   

Although the wartime conditions complicated the task of law enforcement, efforts continued  in the 
fight against drug trafficking. A new State Policy Drug Strategy for 2023-2030 was drafted. To prevent 
diversion/non-medical  use  of  medicines  containing  narcotic  or  psychotropic  substances,  on  1 
November 2022 an obligation to deliver these products only upon prescription was introduced. 

Ukraine  also  continued  international  cooperation  in  this  field  within  EUBAM  and  within  the 
framework of EMPACT. Although the cooperation slowed down following the Russian aggression, it 
was  not  interrupted.  Ukrainian  law  enforcement  agencies  intend  to  intensify  cooperation  with  EU 
partners in this field, in particular to counteract the smuggling of illegal drugs from Afghanistan, Iran 
and Pakistan.  

In the field of the fight against organised crime, the government approved a new Action Plan on 27 
September 2022. The fight against organised crime continued, although it was made more difficult by 
wartime  conditions.  A  particular  effort  was  made  against  criminal  gangs  attempting  to  steal 
humanitarian and other aid arriving to Ukraine. Cooperation with Europol and Interpol continued. On 
19 October 2022, the Memorandum of Understanding on Confidentiality and Information Assurance 
between Ukraine and Europol entered into force; it enabled the direct exchange of information between 
Ukraine, Europol, EU Member States and third countries. 

Cooperation at operational level also continued with law enforcement agencies of EU Member States, 
especially  via joint  investigation teams  (JIT) for the fight against  the  most dangerous transnational 
crimes, as well as for core international crimes committed in the context of the  international armed 
conflict. 

During  the  interim  prosecutorial  reform  period  in  2019-2021,  a  transparent  selection  procedure, 
including  integrity,  professionalism  and  leadership  checks,  was  piloted  for  the  management-level 
prosecutors.  Yet,  since  the  re-establishment  of  the  Council  of  Prosecutors  in  autumn  2021,  these 
positive  practices  were  not  continued.  The  procedure  lacks  transparency,  meritocracy  and  credible 
integrity checks. The resources and capacities of the Council of Prosecutors to carry out its mandate 
in this area remain limited. 

In  August  2023,  the  Ukrainian  Government  adopted  the  strategy  on  asset  recovery  for  2023-2025, 
setting  out  strategic directions for the improvement of the legal  and institutional  framework, along 

23  

For details on the situational picture see the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and 
the  Council  ‘Temporary  protection  for  those  fleeing  Russia's  war  of  aggression  against  Ukraine:  one  year  on, 
COM(2023) 140 final. 

12 

 
 
 
with inter-service and international cooperation. The action plan for the implementation of the strategy 
remains to be developed. 

Ukraine continued its efforts to improve the strategic anti-corruption framework. On 20 June 2022, the 
Parliament  adopted  the  Anti-Corruption  Strategy  for  2021-2025  (ACS),  including  72  objectives  to 
reach by 2025. In 2022, the lengthy selection procedure for the top positions in the Specialised Anti-
Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) was finalised; in July 2022 the positions of head and deputy 
head of SAPO were filled. Also, a new director for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine 
(NABU) was selected and appointed in March 2023, in a transparent and merit-based process. 

On the other hand, despite the recommendation issued in the two previous Visa Suspension Mechanism 
reports, there was still no progress with the establishment of autonomous wiretapping by the NABU. 
In  July  2023,  a  working  arrangement  was  signed  on  cooperation  between  the  European  Public 
Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the NABU.  A new head of the National Agency for Finding, Tracing 
and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and other Crimes (ARMA) was finally appointed 
after  a  re-launch  of  the  competition  in  June  2023,  though  the  whole  asset  management  procedure 
remain in high need for a systemic reform. 

The functioning of the various agencies responsible for fighting against corruption was affected by the 
wartime conditions, but their overall operational  effectiveness continues to remain strong. In 2022, 
NABU initiated a total of 456 criminal proceedings (compared to 633 in 2021 and 792 in 2020) and, 
during  the  first  half  of  2023,  it  initiated  286  proceedings.  Based  on  the  results  of  the  NABU 
investigation,  and  under  the  procedural  guidance  of  SAPO,  54  indictments  on  corruption  offenses 
against 132 persons were sent to court in 2022 (compared to 57 indictments against 127 persons in 
2021 and 67 indictments against 106 persons in 2020). During the first half of 2023, 58 indictments 
against 147 persons were sent to court.  

6.  External relations and fundamental rights 

Ukraine complies overall with international human rights instruments and standards, while Ukrainian 
citizens suffered severely from large-scale violations of fundamental rights by Russia, which Ukrainian 
authorities  and  civil  society  have  sought  to  remedy.  Martial  law  was  introduced  at  the  start  of  the 
Russian full-scale invasion restricting rights and freedoms, though it has remained largely proportional 
to actual needs and has been applied with caution, maintaining a good level of freedom of expression 
despite restrictions to the media landscape. Furthermore, a strong decrease has been registered of cases 
of  discrimination  against  minorities,  including  persons  belonging  to  the  LGBTIQ+  community, 
antisemitic acts or national minorities.  

Regarding  the  rights  of  people  belonging  to  national  minorities,  Ukraine  currently  has  not  fully 
implemented the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission Opinion of June 
2023 on the law on national minorities (communities), which was adopted in December 2022. Other 
important  reforms  are  being  implemented,  for  instance  regarding  the  new  media  law,  the  Istanbul 
convention  and  the  2030  State  Strategy  on  ensuring  equal  rights  between  women  and  men,  while 
challenges remain in the field of prison-reform and the situation of children in institutions. 

7.  Recommendations 

Overall, Ukraine continues to fulfil the visa liberalisation benchmarks and has taken action to address 
some of the Commission’s previous recommendations. However, further efforts  are needed, where 
possible in the current context. In particular, the following issues need to be further addressed: 

13 

 
 
a)  Align Ukraine’s visa policy with the EU’s list of visa-required third countries, in particular 

with regard to countries presenting irregular migration or security risks to the EU. 

b)  Continue  ongoing  efforts  in  the  fight  against  organised  crime,  with  a  special  focus  on 

countering the smuggling of firearms and drugs, despite the war related challenges.  

c)  Continue ongoing efforts in fighting corruption, including by adopting an action plan for the 
implementation of the 2023-2025 asset recovery strategy and by amending ARMA legislation 
on managing seized assets. 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
2.  COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN VISA-FREE FOR MORE THAN 7 YEARS 

ALBANIA 

1.  Visa policy alignment 

Albania has a visa-free regime with 13 countries that are on the EU list of visa-required countries, of 
which  eight  enjoy  permanent  visa  exemption  (Armenia,  Azerbaijan,  Belarus,  China,  Guyana, 
Kazakhstan,  Kuwait,  Türkiye)  and  five  have  a  seasonal  visa  waiver  to  enter  Albania  for  touristic 
reasons between April and December (Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Thailand). In addition, 
third-country nationals who have a 10-year residence permit in the United Arab Emirates, valid at least 
one year at the moment of entry, can also enter Albania visa-free.  

Albania made some progress towards visa policy alignment. In 2023, the seasonal visa exemption was 
not extended to Russia, India, and Egypt, unlike in 2022. Albania should continue to progressively 
align its visa policy to the EU’s in particular with regard to countries presenting migration or security 
risks.  

2.  Monitoring  trends  in  irregular  migration,  applications  for  international  protection, 

returns and readmission  

The number of applications for international protection lodged in Member States by Albanian nationals 
increased by 14% between 2021 and 2022, with 12 955 applications lodged in 2022. The recognition 
rate of 9% in 2022 remained unchanged from 2021. 

In 2022, Member States reported 746 irregular border crossings by Albanian nationals, 36% less than 
in 2021 (1 160), while the number of Albanian nationals found to be irregularly staying in Member 
States increased by 11.5% compared with 2021 (from 34 840 in 2021 to 38 865 in 2022). The number 
of refusals of entry for Albanian nationals in Member States dropped by 18.5% in 2022 (from 18 850 
in 2021 to 15 350 in 2022). 

The number of return decisions issued in 2022 (24 180) rose by 8% compared to 2021 (22 445). In 
2022, 9 745 returns of Albanian nationals were reported, compared with 8 610 in 2021 (an increase of 
13%). The return rate slightly increased from 38% in 2021 to 40% in 2022 marking a positive change 
of the trend from the past years. 

Albania

Asylum applications
(Recognition rate %)

12955 (9%)
11320 (9%)

Irregular stays

Refusals of entry

38865

34840

15350

18850

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

2022

2021

Source: Eurostat 

15 

 
 
 
3.  Cooperation on migration, border management and readmission  

Albania  has  positively  engaged  with  the  EU  on  the  implementation  of  the  EU  Action  Plan  on  the 
Western Balkans. Albania’s migrant reception capacities have increased and its contingency plan in 
case of a spike of arrivals was updated but remains to be fully budgeted and adopted. Albania should 
also adopt a new Strategy on Migration, as a follow up to the 2019-2022 Strategy. Dedicated facilities 
for unaccompanied minors among migrants and asylum seekers should be developed. Adequate access 
to the asylum procedure, the effectiveness of voluntary returns and readmission cooperation with the 
main counties of origin are areas in which further work is needed.  

Albania continued to cooperate with Member States on migration and border management. Examples 
of cooperation on migration and border management included: expert visits, exchanges of information 
and best practices, technical equipment, and training courses. The "Awareness Raising and Information 
for Safety and Empowerment for All – Albania” (Arise All) project continued to be implemented in 
2022 by IOM, with  the support of the European Union’s  Asylum, Migration and  Integration Fund, 
Belgium and the Netherlands24. This prevention campaign aimed to raise awareness among Albanian 
citizens on the risks of irregular migration to Europe and to provide information on existing economic 
and educational opportunities in Albania and legal migration channels to Europe. The project started 
in early 2021 and ended in December 2022. Other examples of cooperation included study visits for 
Albanian border police (and advisory and training missions).  

Overall,  Member  States  reported  good  cooperation  on  readmission.  Albania  also  continued  to 
cooperate with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), in particular by implementing 
the Joint Operation “Albania Land” and “Albania Sea” under the EU-Albania Status Agreement. A 
new Status Agreement was signed on 15 September 2023. Albania also cooperated with the Agency 
when organising and supporting return operations for Albanian citizens irregularly staying in France 
and  other  concerned  Member  States.  The  Albanian  Ministry  of  Interior  and  Frontex  signed  a 
Memorandum of Understanding on a complaint mechanism regarding the protection of fundamental 
rights in June 2023. A liaison officer from Frontex continues to be present in Albania. Overall, Albania 
has developed a very extensive and positive cooperation with Frontex on border management, which 
will further expand once the new Status Agreement signed in September 2023 will be in implemented.   

As regards cooperation with the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA), the Roadmap for Cooperation for the 
period 2021-2022 was extended until the end of 2023 and has allowed the EUAA to provide support 
to the Albanian authorities in strengthening their asylum and reception systems.  

4.  Actions taken on unfounded asylum applications    

In order to address the issue of unfounded asylum applications lodged by Albanian nationals in the 
EU, in 2022, Albania adopted an action plan ‘on the prevention of the asylum-seeking phenomenon 
of Albanian citizens in Schengen/EU countries’ and strengthened the controls on Albanian citizens 
who cross the border with the EU. Albania also continued to strengthen its cooperation and exchange 
of information with Member States, especially with those most affected by this phenomenon. Notably, 
Albania continued to implement its two action plans, addressing the issue of unaccompanied Albanian 
minors in Italy and the issue of Albanian asylum seekers in France, respectively.  

The Albanian government also continued to raise awareness about the rights and obligations linked to 

24  

https://albania.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1401/files/inline-files/arise-all-project-brief.pdf  

16 

 
 
 
visa-free travel to the EU, in cooperation with Frontex, Europol, Member States as well as international 
organisations  such  as  IOM,  UNHCR  and  the  OSCE.  Leaflets  with  relevant  information  on  the 
requirements for visa-free travel and the penalties for any violations of these obligations are distributed 
at all border crossing points. 

5.  Citizenship by investment  

In the fifth report under the visa suspension mechanism, it was reported that, in 2022, the Government 
of Albania adopted a decision which introduces a legal basis for the Ministry of Interior to launch a 
Public  Private  Partnership  procedure  for  the  implementation  of  an  investor  citizenship  scheme.  In 
2023,  Albania  announced  its  decision  to  suspend  the  initiative  related  to  the  establishment  of  an 
investor citizenship scheme. 

6.  Cooperation on security 

In 2022, Albania took part in an increasing number of international police operations and was part of 
16 ongoing joint investigation teams. Albania deployed a second liaison officer to Europol in February 
2023.  In  2022,  the  Albanian  State  Police  increased  by  16.9%  the  number  of  Secure  Information 
Exchange Network Application (SIENA) messages shared with international partners.  

Albania  is  the  most  active  third  country  participating  in  the  European  Multidisciplinary  Platform 
Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).  

Thanks to the good progress made in the implementation of the Implementing Arrangement on Counter 
terrorism under the Joint Action Plan on counter terrorism for the Western Balkans, on 9 December 
2022 Albania signed with the Commission a revision of the arrangement including new actions and 
more ambitious targets.  

7.  Recommendations 

Albania has taken action to address most of the Commission’s previous recommendations. However, 
further progress is needed, and the following issues need to be addressed: 

a)  Further align Albania’s visa policy with the EU’s list of visa-required countries, in particular 

with regard to countries presenting irregular migration or security risks to the EU. 

b)  Continue cooperating with the Member States most affected by unfounded asylum applications 
by  Albanian  nationals  and  implementing  tailored  information  campaigns  on  the  visa-free 
regime. 

c)  Refrain from establishing an investor citizenship scheme. 

17 

 
 
 
 
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 

1.  Visa policy alignment  

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a visa-free regime with 8 countries that are on the EU list of visa-required 
countries: Azerbaijan, China, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Russia and Saudi Arabia (seasonal) and Türkiye.  

Bosnia and Herzegovina took no step in 2022 on further visa policy alignment. However, in 2023 it 
introduced visa-free travel for nationals of Saudi Arabia for the summer tourist season and ended the 
visa-free regime for Bahrain as from September 2023.  

2.  Monitoring  trends  in  irregular  migration,  applications  for  international  protection, 

returns and readmission 

In 2022, 2 235 applications for international  protection were submitted by nationals  of Bosnia and 
Herzegovina in Member States, 17% less than in 2021 (2 705). The recognition rate increased from 
5% in 2021 to 8% in 2022. 

In 2022, Member States reported 23 irregular border crossings by nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina 
at the EU’s external borders, compared with 17 in 2021. In 2022, the number of nationals of Bosnia 
and Herzegovina found to be irregularly staying in Member States rose by 19%, with 4 900 irregular 
stays in 2022 compared with 4 105 in 2021. The number of refusals of entry slightly increased in 2022 
(by 5%), from 5 035 cases in 2021 to 5 275 in 2022. 

The number of return decisions issued to nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2 745 in 2022 against 
2 900 in 2021) dropped by 5%, while the number of people returned (1260 in 2022 against 900 in 
2021) rose by 40%. The return rate increased from 31% in 2021 to 46% in 2022. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Asylum applications
(Recognition rate %)

Irregular stays

Refusals of entry

2235 (8%)

2705 (5%)

2150

2390

5275

5035

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

2022

2021

Source: Eurostat 

3.  Cooperation on migration, border management and readmission 

Bosnia and Herzegovina has positively engaged with the EU on the implementation of the EU Action 
Plan on the Western Balkans.   

18 

 
 
 
 
Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Action Plan on Migration and Asylum (2021- 2025) completing 
the full approval of its strategic framework. Efforts have been made to expand reception capacities but 
further progress remains to be achieved in the identification and reception of unaccompanied minors 
and vulnerable persons. Access to asylum remains limited with the lodging of applications allowed 
only in the capital Sarajevo. Progress is needed also in the processing of asylum cases. 

Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  is  implementing  the  strategy  for  integrated  border  management  and  the 
accompanying action plan for the period 2019-2023. A new law on border control, drafted in 2022, 
was rejected in Parliament in early 2023; the Council of Ministers should swiftly endorse a new draft 
for parliamentary procedure.   

Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet started the negotiations for the status agreement with the EU that 
would allow the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) to deploy its standing corps at 
the country’s border, to carry out operational activities together with the Border Police. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina continued good cooperation on readmission on the basis of an agreement with 
the EU, which is implemented in an efficient manner as far as most Member States are concerned. 
However,  two  Member  States  signalled  some  problems  concerning  respectively  refusals  of 
readmission and the timely issuing of return travel documents.  

The EU raised concerns related to the strongly increased migratory pressure of third-country nationals 
coming through the Western Balkans route in 2022 and requested Bosnia and Herzegovina to exercise 
the highest level of cooperation. In particular, the EU asked to ensure that if the asylum applications 
lodged by these nationals are rejected, Bosnia and Herzegovina will readmit them in application of the 
third-country nationals’ clause of the EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina readmission agreement. 

Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  also  continued  bilateral  cooperation  with  Member  States.  Under  the  EU 
funded project “Individual measure to strengthen the response capacity to manage migration flows in 
Bosnia and Herzegovina” implemented by IOM, one activity is dedicated to support the Ministry of 
Security  with  capacity  building  to  effectively  carry  out  returns.  In  the  framework  of  the  return 
management  mechanism  managed  by  IOM,  the  Ministry  will  also  receive  technical  support  from 
Member States to carry out the full spectrum of returns.  

Cooperation  between  the  European  Union  Asylum  Agency  (EUAA)  and  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina 
started in 2014. A first Roadmap was endorsed  in November 2020. A second generation Roadmap is 
in preparation to cover the period 2023-2025. 

4.  Cooperation on security 

Europol is further strengthening its operational cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina. A single 
national  contact  point  with  Europol  was  established  in  June  2023,  connecting  all  law  enforcement 
authorities in the country to the Europol Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA) 
system. A liaison officer of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Europol’s headquarters was deployed in the 
Hague.  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina’s  coordinator  of  the  Europol  contact  point  is  also  the  EMPACT 
coordinator. 

19 

 
 
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a bilateral arrangement on counter terrorism with the Commission signed 
in  201925,  to  implement  the  joint  action  plan  on  counter  terrorism  for  the  Western  Balkans26. 
Implementation has seen some delays, but good progress was registered in the last progress report in 
2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted in 2022 a new strategy on counter terrorism and prevention 
and countering of violent extremism. The entities need to  adopt the respective action plans. Bosnia 
and  Herzegovina  needs  to  adopt  new  legislation  on  anti-money  laundering  and  counter-terrorism 
financing, to avoid again being grey-listed following the upcoming evaluation by Moneyval.  

Europol is a key stakeholder in EMPACT and operational results demonstrate the good cooperation 
with the Agency.  

5.  Recommendations 

the  Commission’s  previous 
Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  has 
recommendations. However, further progress is needed, and the following issues need to be addressed:  

taken  some  action 

to  address 

a)  Take urgent steps to align Bosnia and Herzegovina’s visa policy with the EU’s list of visa-
required  countries,  in  particular  with  regard  to  countries  presenting  irregular  migration  or 
security risks to the EU; 

b)  Swiftly negotiate, sign and ratify the Frontex status agreement with the EU;  

c)  Resolve the issues in readmission cooperation signalled by Member States.  

25  

26  

https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-and-authorities-bosnia-and-herzegovina-endorse-
arrangement-counterterrorism-cooperation-2019-11-19_en   
https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2018-10/20181005_joint-action-plan-counter-terrorism-western-
balkans.pdf  

20 

 
 
 
 
 
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA 

1.  Visa alignment 

Moldova has a visa-free regime with 12 countries that are on the EU list of visa-required countries: 
Armenia,  Azerbaijan,  Belarus,  Cuba,  Ecuador,  Kazakhstan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Qatar,  Russia,  Tajikistan, 
Türkiye and Uzbekistan.  

There was no progress towards more alignment with EU visa policy in 2022.  

2.  Monitoring  trends  in  irregular  migration,  applications  for  international  protection, 

returns and readmission 

The  number  of  applications  for  international  protection  by  Moldovan  nationals  in  Member  States 
increased  by  6%  between  2021  and  2022,  with  7  900  applications  lodged  in  2021  against  8  365 
applications in 2022. The recognition rate was 2 % in 2022, compared to 1% in 2021. 

In 2022, attempts by Moldovan nationals to cross the EU’s external borders irregularly remained low 
(29), (21 in 2021). The number of Moldovan nationals found to be irregularly staying rose from 40 
945 in 2021 to 44 530 in 2022 (an increase of 9%). In 2022, the number of Moldovan nationals being 
refused entry in Member States was 7 305, which is 19.5% less than in 2021 (9 075). 

In 2022, both the number of return orders issued to Moldovan nationals and the number of returns 
increased respectively by 4% (8 250 in 2022 compared with 7 940 in 2021) and by 18.5% (2 845 in 
2022 compared to 2 400 in 2021) which contributed to the higher return rate of 34% in 2022 compared 
to 30% in 2021. 

Moldova

8365 (2%)
7900 (1%)

Asylum applications
(Recognition rate %)

Irregular stays

Refusals of entry

7305

9075

44530

40945

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

2022

2021

Source: Eurostat 

3.  Cooperation on migration, border management and readmission 

Moldova continued to foster international  cooperation with EU  agencies  and Member States in the 
field of border management. Its active role is being reflected within the EU Support Hub for Internal 
Security  and  Border  Management  initiative  which  strengthened  Moldova’s  cooperation  within 
EMPACT  as  well  as  with  Frontex,  Europol,  CEPOL,  the  EU  Border  Assistance  Mission  to  the 
Republic of Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM), and Member States. 

21 

 
 
 
Moldova  also  adopted  in  2022  its  home  affairs  strategy  (2022-2030)  and  six  sectoral  development 
strategies, out of which two are dedicated to migration and border management: one on management 
of migration flows, asylum and integration of foreigners, and one on integrated border management.  

Moldova has signed a Status agreement for operational activities carried out by the European Border 
and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in Moldova on 17 March 2022. The agreement enables Frontex to 
extend fully fledged and comprehensive support to Moldova and provides the deployed standing corps 
officers  with  the  necessary  protection,  immunities  and  security  coverage.  It  is  the  first  Status 
Agreement and the first joint operation with executive powers in the countries covered by the Eastern 
Partnership. Operational cooperation between Frontex and Moldova began on 19 March 2022, with 
the launching of Joint Operation Moldova, targeting the use of fraudulent documents at border crossing 
points. 

To support extended  cooperation with  Moldova,  since July  2022,  a  Frontex Liaison  Officer  (FLO) 
with a regional mandate covering the Eastern Partnership countries has been temporarily deployed to 
Chisinau, until the situation in the initially foreseen place of deployment – Kyiv – stabilises. Acting 
from Chisinau, the FLO is proactively engaging with institutions in the Eastern Partnership region and 
maintaining regular contacts with the Immigration Liaison Officers (ILO) network in Moldova. 

Moldova continued to cooperate with Member States on migration and border management. Examples 
of cooperation included training courses, equipment, operational cooperation, and expert visits.  

Frontex and Member States  also report good cooperation on readmission.   

In response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,  the EU stepped up its cooperation with 
Moldova in the field of security, giving special attention to border management. The EU mobilised its 
full toolbox to provide additional equipment and training, in close cooperation with Member States. 

4.  Cooperation on security 

Spill-over  effects  from  Russia’s  war  of  aggression  against  Ukraine  posed  additional  threats  to 
Moldova’s  security.  Moldovan  border  forces  face  increased  risks  of  transnational  crime,  including 
trafficking  in  human  beings,  drugs  and  weapons.  Moldovan  law  enforcement  authorities  face 
intensified hybrid threats, including risks of disruptions to electricity supply and heating, cybersecurity 
attacks, increasing attempts by Russian citizens to enter Moldova using fraudulent documents.  

In July 2022, the EU Support Hub for Internal Security and Border Management for Moldova  was 
launched by Commissioner Johansson and Moldova’s Minister of Interior. As an operational platform, 
the EU Support Hub supports cooperation on internal security and border management between the 
EU, its Agencies, the Member States and the Moldovan authorities. It operates along the following 
priority areas: firearms trafficking, migrant smuggling, trafficking in human beings, preventing and 
countering terrorism and violent extremism, cybercrime, drugs trafficking and chemical, biological, 
radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials trafficking.  

Also, thanks to the cooperation developed in the context of the EU Support Hub, cooperation between 
Europol, CEPOL and Frontex in Moldova stepped up significantly. Europol has deployed one Europol 
Officer and two Guest Officers to Moldova to support in early detection of criminal activities linked 
to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, including the fight against criminal networks dealing 
with migrant smuggling, trafficking in human beings and other criminal activities.  

Cooperation between Europol and Moldova is based on an Operational Agreement which entered into 
force in July 2015. The Moldovan Liaison Officer has been posted at Europol Headquarters since 2015. 

22 

 
 
Moldova is steadily involved in the European  Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats 
(EMPACT).  In  2022,  Moldova  participated  in  15  Operational  Actions  in  five  different  OAPs  and 
nominated a National Empact Coordinator. On 22 May 2023, under the Common Security and Defence 
Policy,  the  EU Council  launched  the  EU  Partnership  Mission  in  the  Republic  of  Moldova  (EUPM 
Moldova)  to  enhance  the  resilience  of  the  security  sector  in  the  country  in  the  areas  of  crisis 
management and hybrid threats.  

In March 2023, the European Council approved a support package for Moldova, addressing five key 
priorities including security. As a follow up, 4 million EUR are currently being reallocated for urgent 
security  needs  under  the  EU  funded  programme  “Supporting  Protection,  Transit,  Voluntary  and 
Informed  Return  and  Reintegration  of  Eastern  Partnership  Citizens  and  Third  Country  Nationals 
affected by the conflict in Ukraine”. The funds will support the Moldovan border authorities and the 
Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

5.  Recommendations 

Moldova has taken action to address the Commission’s previous recommendations. However, further 
progress is needed, and the following issues need to be addressed: 

a)  Further align Moldova’s visa policy with the EU’s list of visa-required countries, in particular 

with regard to countries presenting irregular migration or security risks to the EU; 

b)  Continue  ongoing  efforts  in  the  fight  against  organised  crime,  in  particular  transnational 
criminal activities that emerged in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. 

23 

 
 
 
 
MONTENEGRO 

1.  Visa policy alignment 

Montenegro has a visa-free regime with 12 countries that are on the EU list of visa-required countries, 
of which seven enjoy permanent visa exemption (Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Kuwait, Qatar, Russia, 
Türkiye) and five have a seasonal visa waiver to enter Montenegro for touristic reasons between April 
and October (Armenia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan). 

In 2023, Montenegro made progress towards visa policy alignment: the visa exemption was revoked 
for nationals of Cuba, Ecuador, as well as for third-country nationals with a residence permit in the 
United Arab Emirates.  

2.  Monitoring  trends  in  irregular  migration,  applications  for  international  protection, 

returns and readmission  

The  number  of  applications  for  international  protection  lodged  in  Member  States  by  Montenegrin 
nationals decreased by 3% between 2021 and 2022, with 420 applications lodged in 2022 compared 
with 435 in 2021. The recognition rate of 4% in 2022 remained stable compared to the previous year. 

Member States reported only one irregular border crossing in 2022 by a Montenegrin national. The 
number of Montenegrin  nationals  found to  be irregularly  staying in  2022 increased by 9.5% (from 
1000 in 2021 to 1 095 in 2022). In 2022, the number of refusals of entry for nationals of Montenegro 
in Member States remained stable with 525 refusals in 2022 compared to 520 in 2021. 

The  number  of  return  decisions  issued  to  the  country’s  nationals  decreased  by  12%  (435  in  2022 
against  495  in  2021),  while  the  number  of  people  returned  slightly  increased  by  2%  (265  in  2021 
against 270 in 2022). The return rate respectively increased from 54% in 2021 to 62% in 2022. 

Asylum applications
(Recognition rate %)

Irregular stays

Refusals of entry

Montenegro

420 (4%)
435 (4%)

525
520

1095

1000

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

2022

2021

Source: Eurostat 

3.  Cooperation on migration, border management and readmission  

Montenegro has positively engaged with the EU on the implementation of the EU Action Plan on the 
Western Balkans.   

24 

 
 
 
 
To address the increase in irregular migration, a new unit for the Suppression of Human Smuggling 
and  Cross-Border  Crime  was  created  in  the  border  police  increasing  irregular  border  crossings 
controls.  

The capacity of the asylum  system  was strengthened  and a substantial  State budget  allocation was 
earmarked to expand reception capacity.  Montenegro’s Directorate for Asylum made efforts to reduce 
the backlog of asylum applications.  

Montenegro also continued to cooperate with Member States on migration and border management, 
who  provided  training  and  capacity  building,  equipment,  and  information  exchanges.  Technical 
assistance from EUAA, FRONTEX, IOM and the UNHCR was also delivered within an EU-funded 
regional project. Overall, Member States also reported good cooperation on readmission.  

Montenegro and the European Union signed a new Status Agreement on operational activities carried 
out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in Montenegro on 16 May 2023.27 The 
new agreement will allow for Frontex deployments anywhere on the territory of Montenegro, upon 
request  by  the  country’s  authorities.  The  two  joint  operations  being  conducted  on  the  basis  of  the 
current status agreement continue to be implemented: at a border crossing point (BCP) with Croatia; 
and in a joint maritime operation aimed at strengthening blue borders’ surveillance in the Adriatic. 
Overall, Montenegro has a very positive cooperation with Frontex on border management, which will 
intensify with the implementation of the new Status Agreement. 

The EUAA signed a Joint Roadmap with the Montenegrin authorities in December 2021. With the 
support  of  the  EUAA,  a  new  unit  dealing  with  country  of  origin  information  was  created,  training 
modules were developed, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were drafted to streamline the 
asylum procedures.  

4.  Cooperation on security 

In  September  2014,  Montenegro  and  Europol  signed  an  Agreement  on  Operational  and  Strategic 
Cooperation. Over the years, the quality of the information exchanged has continuously improved and 
cooperation with Europol – notably through and thanks to EMPACT, Europol analyses projects and 
other initiatives – has further strengthened. Four units of the police, including the Financial Intelligence 
Unit and the unit in charge of the fight against organised crime have direct access to Europol SIENA 
secure communication channel (SIENA), allowing a fast, secure and efficient information exchange 
with Europol and EU Member States.   

Montenegro  has  one  liaison  officer  posted  at  Europol  Headquarters  and  actively  cooperates  with 
Europol’s European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC). 

Montenegro  signed  in  2019  a  bilateral  arrangement  with  the  Commission  on  counter  terrorism  to 
implement the Joint Action Plan on Counter Terrorism for the Western Balkans. Montenegro has made 
good progress in the implementation of the arrangement.  

5.  Investor citizenship schemes  

The investor citizenship scheme was terminated on 31 December 2022. This is a welcome development 
and  a  concrete  follow-up  to  the  recommendations  of  the  Fifth  Report  under  the  Visa  Suspension 
Mechanism. 

27  

https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8354-2023-INIT/en/pdf  

25 

 
 
 
Although the investor citizenship scheme is terminated, Montenegro continues to process applications 
submitted until 2022. Following the Commission recommendation of 28 March 2022 on immediate 
steps in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in relation to investor citizenship schemes and 
investor  residence  schemes28,  Montenegro  introduced  additional  screening  procedures  in  the 
application  process,  to  check  whether  applicants  are  on  the  sanctions  list  or  recognised  as  entities 
whose funds come from illegal sources. The Ministry of Interior has also requested additional checks 
by the National Security Agency for applications received from Russian and Belarussian nationals. 
Ex-post  verifications  are  also  ongoing  to  determine  whether  citizenship  was  granted  to  individuals 
under international restrictive measures, in which cases Montenegrin citizenship would be revoked.  

The  Commission  will  continue  to  monitor  any  developments  in  this  regard  until  all  pending 
applications have been processed.  

6.  Recommendations 

Montenegro  has  taken  action  to  address  the  Commission’s  previous  recommendations.  However, 
further progress is needed, and the following issues need to be addressed: 

a)  Take  urgent  steps  to  align  Montenegro’s  visa  policy  with  the  EU’s  list  of  visa-required 
countries, in particular with regard to countries presenting irregular migration or security risks 
to the EU;  

b)  Ensure that pending applications under the recently terminated investor citizenship scheme are 

screened and processed in accordance with the highest possible security standards.  

28  

https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/recommendation-limit-access-individuals-connected-russian-belarusian-
government-citizenship_en  

26 

 
 
 
 
 
NORTH MACEDONIA 

1.  Visa policy alignment 

North Macedonia has made substantial progress towards aligning its visa policy with the visa policy 
of the EU. To date, there is only one country which is visa free for North Macedonia, but not for the 
EU  (Türkiye).  In  January  2023,  North  Macedonia  reintroduced  a  visa  requirement  for  nationals  of 
Botswana and Cuba. Additionally, the decision to temporarily allow nationals of Azerbaijan to enter 
North Macedonia without a visa expired in March 2023 and was not extended. 

2.  Monitoring  trends  in  irregular  migration,  applications  for  international  protection, 

returns and readmission  

In 2022, the number of applications for international protection in Member States by nationals of North 
Macedonia increased by 24%, with 6 715 applications lodged in 2022 compared with 5 415 in 2021. 
The recognition rate is 2% (compared to 1% in 2021). 

In  2022,  9  irregular  border  crossings  by  nationals  of  North  Macedonia  were  reported  at  EU  level, 
against  12  in  2021.  In  2022,  the  number  of  nationals  of  North  Macedonia  found  to  be  irregularly 
staying increased by 9% compared with the previous year, with 7 030 irregular stays in 2022 against 
6 450 in 2021. The number of refusals of entry slightly increased by 5%, from 2 950 refusals in 2021 
to 3 095 in 2022. 

Last year marked an increasing trend in the number of: (i) return decisions issued to nationals of North 
Macedonia (2 910 in 2022 against 2 320 in 2021, a 25% increase); and (ii) persons  returned (1 590 in 
2022 against 985 in 2021, a 61% increase). Member States  report good cooperation on return and 
readmission and the return rate increased in 2022 with 55% of returns compared to 42% in 2021. 

North Macedonia

Asylum applications
(Recognition rate %)

Irregular stays

Refusals of entry

6715 (2%)

5415 (1%)

7030

6450

3095
2950

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

2022

2021

Source: Eurostat 

3.  Cooperation on migration, border management and readmission  

North Macedonia has positively engaged with the EU on the implementation of the EU Action Plan 
on the Western Balkans.   

North Macedonia plays an active role in the management of mixed migration flows on one of the main 
transit routes for irregular migration. However, the number of migrants smuggled remains high and 
combating smuggling networks must be improved as a priority.  

27 

 
 
 
North Macedonia is working on strengthening its asylum system with regards to persons with special 
needs  and  unaccompanied  minors.  However,  progress  is  still  needed  in  systematic  registration  of 
migrants. The contingency plan to manage large migratory flows still needs to be finalised and adopted.  

North Macedonia continued to cooperate with Member States on migration and border management. 
Examples of cooperation included: expert visits, exchanges of information and best practices, technical 
equipment, and training courses.   

Readmission  agreements  continue  to  be  implemented  and  overall,  Member  States  reported  good 
cooperation  on  readmission,  with  the  exception  of  one  Member  State  that  reported  the  need  for 
improvements. 

North Macedonia has signed a Status agreement for operational activities carried out by  the European 
Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in North Macedonia in October 202229. Following the entry 
into force of the Status agreement on 1 April 2023, a Joint Operation was launched on 19 April 2023 
with the deployment of 110 officers to provide support with border control and the management of 
irregular migration and cross-border crime along the entire border section with Greece.  Overall, North 
Macedonia  has  developed  a  very  extensive  and  positive  cooperation  with  Frontex  on  border 
management, which has been further strengthened in April 2023 following the entry into force of the 
status agreement. 

As regards cooperation with the EUAA, the Roadmap for Cooperation for the period October 2020 – 
September  2022  remained  an  important  tool  to  strengthen  the  asylum  system,  notably  as  regards 
persons  with  special  needs  and  unaccompanied  minors,  strengthening  training  on  asylum  and 
reception,  increasing  the  quality  of  asylum  decisions  and  strengthening  the  reception  system  for 
vulnerable migrants and unaccompanied minors. The EUAA and North Macedonia are in the process 
of developing a third generation Roadmap, while the second generation one was extended to ensure 
that there will be no gaps.    

4.  Cooperation on security 

Europol signed a Strategic Agreement with North Macedonia in January 2007 while an Operational 
Agreement was signed in September 2011.  The level of cooperation and exchange of information with 
Europol is good and increased during 2022. A liaison officer from North Macedonia has been deployed 
at Europol  since 2015. Law enforcement authorities of North Macedonia are providing information 
on  weapons  seized  and  suspects  arrested,  and  they  are  providing  feedback  when  requested  in 
operational activities. North Macedonia is also participating in EMPACT. 

Thanks to the good progress made in the implementation of the Implementing Arrangement on Counter 
Terrorism under the Joint Action Plan on Counter Terrorism for the Western Balkans, on 9 December 
2022  North  Macedonia  signed  with  the  Commission  a  revision  of  the  arrangement  including  new 
actions and more ambitious targets. 

5.  Investor citizenship schemes  

The  Law  on  Citizenship  of  North  Macedonia  allows  for  the  acquisition  of  citizenship  without  any 
previous  residence  requirements  for  persons  who  represent  a  ‘special  economic  interest’  for  the 
country.    Between  2005  and  2022,  121  people  acquired  citizenship  for  special  economic  interest 

29  

https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-12896-2022-INIT/en/pdf  

28 

 
 
 
(against  40  negative  decisions)30.  The  Commission  reiterates  that  the  implementation  of  this  law 
should not lead to a systematic granting of citizenship in return for investment, as it may be used to 
bypass  the  EU  short-stay  visa  procedure  and  the  in-depth  assessment  of  individual  migratory  and 
security risks it entails, and can therefore have an impact on the visa-free regime.  

6.  Recommendations 

North Macedonia has taken action to address most of the Commission’s previous recommendations. 
However, further progress is needed, and the following issues need to be addressed: 

a)  Continue the good progress on visa policy alignment. 

b)  Refrain from enabling systematic acquisition of citizenship for special economic interest. 

30  

Report 

Screening 
North 
enlargement.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
07/MK%20Cluster_1%20Draft%20screening%20report_external%20version.pdf   

Macedonia, 

July 

on 

2023, 

https://neighbourhood-

29 

 
 
 
 
 
SERBIA 

1.  Visa policy alignment  

At the beginning of 2022, Serbia had a visa-free regime with 22 countries that are on the EU list of 
visa-required countries. The lack of alignment with the EU’s visa policy was amongst the factors that 
led to increased irregular migration to the EU on the Western Balkans route. It concerned in particular 
nationals of Burundi, Cuba, India, Tunisia and Türkiye, who were able to enter Serbia without visas 
and then irregularly cross the external borders of the Member States. The issue prompted immediate 
and extensive contacts between the Commission and the Serbian authorities.   

As a result of this cooperation and coordinated efforts, Serbia reinstated visa requirements for Burundi 
(21  October  2022,  implemented  immediately),  Tunisia  (21  October  2022,  implemented  on  22 
November  2022),  Guinea  Bissau  (1  December  2022,  implemented  on  6  December  2022),  India  (9 
December  2022,  implemented  on  1  January  2023),  Bolivia  and  Cuba  (27  December  2022, 
implemented respectively on 10 February 2023 and 13 April 2023).  

Currently, Serbia maintains a visa-free regime with 16 countries that are on the EU list of visa-required 
countries:  Armenia,  Azerbaijan,  Bahrain,  Belarus,  China,  Indonesia,  Jamaica,  Kyrgyzstan,  Kuwait, 
Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Suriname, and Türkiye.  

The Commission  expects  further visa alignment  in  line with  the commitment  taken by the Serbian 
authorities and looks forward to further detail from Serbia on the announced ‘visa harmonisation plan’ 
and its effective implementation. 

2.  Monitoring  trends  in  irregular  migration,  applications  for  international  protection, 

returns and readmission 

In 2022, 4 265 applications for international protection were submitted by Serbian nationals in Member 
States, an increase of 24% compared with 2021 (3 430) which maintains the trend from the previous 
years. The recognition rate decreased slightly from 6% in 2021 to 5% in 2022. 

There were 32 detected irregular crossings of the external borders of the Member States by Serbian 
nationals (37 in 2021). The number of Serbian nationals found to be staying irregularly in Member 
States  continued  a  downward  trend  with  13  530 people  in  2022  compared  with  14  490  in  2021  (a 
decrease of 7%). In 2022, the number of Serbian nationals refused entry to the EU decreased by 22% 
(8 405 in 2021 against 6 585 in 2022). 

The  number  of  return  decisions  issued  to  Serbian  nationals  (5  705  in  2022  against  6  045  in  2021) 
marked a decrease of 6%, while the number of people returned increased by 5% (3 190 in 2022 against 
3 035 in 2021) and the return rate increased from 50% in 2021 to 56% in 2022. 

30 

 
 
Serbia

4265 (5%)

3430 (6%)

Asylum applications
(Recognition rate %)

Irregular stays

13530

14490

Refusals of entry

6585

8405

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

2022

2021

Source: Eurostat 

3.  Cooperation on migration, border management and readmission 

Serbia  has  positively  engaged  with  the  EU  on  the  implementation  of  the  EU  Action  Plan  on  the 
Western Balkans and contributed to the management of the mixed migration flow towards the EU, 
since the spike of irregular border crossings of the external borders of Member States of 2022. 

In August 2022, Serbia adopted a new integrated border management strategy for the period 2022-
2027 and an action plan for 2022-2024. Enhancing border surveillance and increasing efforts to detect 
and prevent smuggling of refugees and migrants should remain a priority. 

Efforts  towards  the  identification  and  registration  of  migrants  and  applicants  for  international 
protection including in reception centres should be stepped-up. Strengthening the asylum system and 
the capacity to return migrants with no legal right to stay remain important areas for further work, in 
which the Commission support has been increased. 

In 2022, Serbia took a number of measures to tighten the requirements for obtaining Serbian visas and 
entering  Serbia.  Those  modified  conditions  were  published  and  given  a  wide  circulation  on 
government  websites,  and  entered  into  the  operational  platform  of  the    International  Air  Transport 
Association,  which  is  used  by  airlines  when  checking  in  passengers  for  flights  to  Serbia. 
Representatives  of  Serbian  diplomatic  and  consular  missions  held  talks  with  offices  of  the  largest 
airlines in the countries of their accreditation, identified as being used by travellers who abuse the visa-
free regime. Serbian authorities also held talks with the representatives of all major airlines in Belgrade 
as well as with tourist organisations working with the countries of origin of people potentially abusing 
the visa-free regime of Serbia. 

Serbia continued to cooperate with Member States on migration and border management. Examples 
of cooperation included  funding, technical  assistance, joint border patrols and training courses. EU 
technical assistance supports the strategy for integrated border management 2022-2027, particularly 
on  efficient  registration  of  irregular  migrants,  their  processing,  but  also  on  coordination  among 
institutions within the migration management system and return procedures to either the country of 
origin or the country of previous entry. EU funding also supports the functioning of the reception and 
asylum  centres  managed  by  the  Commissariat  for  Refugees  and  Migration,  including  healthcare 
services, social assistance and education for children and vulnerable groups. With the support of the 

31 

 
 
 
EU  and  Member  States,  the  International  Organisation  for  Migration  (IOM)  is  implementing  the 
assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) programme building the capacity of Serbia’s return 
system and facilitating access to assisted voluntary return.  

Overall, Frontex and Member States also report good cooperation on readmission. 

Nevertheless,  challenges  have  been  identified  in  the  readmission  of  the  irregularly  staying  third-
country nationals that reached the EU via the Western Balkan route. In this context, the Commission 
requested  Serbia  to  exercise  the  highest  level  of  cooperation  to  ensure  that,  where  the  asylum 
applications lodged by these nationals are rejected, Serbia will readmit them in application of the third-
country nationals’ clause of the EU-Serbia readmission agreement.   

Serbia has concluded a Status agreement for operational activities carried out by the European Border 
and31 Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in Serbia, which entered into force on 1 May 2021, providing for 
the deployment of European Border and Coast Guard Standing Corps teams with executive power on 
the territory of Serbia. The first operation under the Status Agreement started on 16 June 2021 at the 
Serbian-Bulgarian border. In December 2022, this joint operation was expanded to  border crossing 
points along Serbia’s border with Hungary. Negotiations of a new Status Agreement have started in 
May 2023 and are ongoing. 

Serbia has a Joint Roadmap with the EU Asylum Agency in place supporting the further development 
of  a  national  asylum  and  reception  system  in  line  with  EU  standards.  Serbia  is  part  of  the  EUAA 
Network of Reception Authorities.  

4.  Cooperation on security 

Serbia continued its good cooperation with Europol and increased its use of the secure channel SIENA. 
The number of messages exchanged increased by 15% between 2021 and 2022. Eurojust and Serbia 
have  continued  their  good  cooperation  in  criminal  matters,  notably  through  the  Serbian  Liaison 
Prosecutor (seconded since March 2020) at Eurojust headquarters. 

Serbia actively participates in EMPACT. In 2022, Serbia participated in 67 Operational Actions and 
was a co-action leader of one Operational Action (in the Operational Action Plan on cannabis, cocaine 
and heroin). Serbia continued to participate in EMPACT Joint Action Days. 

Serbia signed in 2019 a bilateral arrangement on counter terrorism with the Commission to implement 
the Joint Action Plan on Counter Terrorism for the Western Balkans. Serbia submitted regular reports, 
but further progress is needed to consider the implementation of the arrangement as satisfactory, in 
particular Serbia has not yet adopted a new strategic framework on counter terrorism and preventing 
and countering violent extremism following the expiration of the previous strategies in 2021. 

Serbia has not finalised an analysis of the roles and practices of security services and of the National 
Security  Council  in  carrying  out  criminal  investigations  relating  to  serious  and  organised  crime, 
although preparatory work has started. There is well-established cooperation with CEPOL, Eurojust, 
Europol and Interpol, notably on weapons trafficking, drugs trafficking, and the fight against high-
profile organised crime groups. Serbia needs to  further increase the technical, financial and human 
resources  capacity  of  the  Prosecutor’s  Office  for  Organised  Crime  to  perform  its  duties  in  an 
independent manner (including premises to accommodate new staff). Serbia should adapt its approach 
based  on  cases  to  a  strategy  against  criminal  organisations,  and  from  focusing  on  cases  of  low  or 

31  

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A22020A0625%2801%29  

32 

 
 
 
medium  importance to  high-profile cases aiming  at  dismantling  big  and international  organisations 
and seizing assets. 

5.  Fast-track acquisition of citizenship 

In  the  first  months  of  2023,  the  Serbian  government  proposed  some  amendments  to  the  Law  on 
citizenship  providing  for  the  possibility  of  a  fast-track  acquisition  of  Serbian  citizenship  for  third-
country nationals who have resided only for a short period of time in Serbia, hold a higher education 
diploma obtained in Serbia or recognised by Serbia, and are self-employed or employed by a Serbian 
company. 

While  the  EU  respects  the  sovereign  right  of  Serbia  to  decide  on  its  citizenship  and  naturalisation 
policies, the Commission has expressed its concerns to the competent Serbian authorities as regards 
the possible security risks for the EU linked to the fast-track acquisition of visa-free travel rights for 
nationals of countries that would be otherwise visa required for the EU. Further to the outreach of the 
Commission on this matter, the Government of Serbia decided to withdraw the proposal. 

6.  Recommendations 

Serbia has  taken  action  to  address  the  Commission’s  previous  recommendations.  However,  further 
progress is needed, and the following issues need to be addressed: 

a)  Further align Serbia’s visa policy with the EU’s list of  visa-required countries, in particular 

with regard to countries presenting irregular migration or security risks to the EU; 

b)  Swiftly finalise negotiations on the new Frontex Status Agreement with the EU; 

c)  Fully implement the third-country national’s clause of the EU-Serbia readmission agreement. 

33 

 
 
 
 
II.  OTHER VISA-FREE COUNTRIES 

VISA-FREE COUNTRIES OPERATING INVESTOR CITIZENSHIP SCHEMES 

While the EU respects the right of sovereign countries to decide on their own naturalisation procedures, 
investor citizenship schemes run by visa-free third countries, which are inconsistent with the principles 
and conditions underlying the visa exemption, could present security risks for the EU and its Member 
States.   

The EU is especially concerned about investor citizenship schemes that are commercially promoted as 
providing visa-free access to the EU. The purpose of visa waiver agreements is to facilitate people-to-
people contacts between the EU and a third country, not to enable nationals of other visa-required third 
countries to circumvent the EU short-stay visa procedure through the acquisition of citizenship. Visa-
free access to the EU should not be used as a commercial commodity to be sold and bought. 

This issue has also been raised by the European Parliament in its  resolution of 9 March 2022 with 
proposals  to  the  Commission  on  citizenship  and  residence  by  investment  schemes32.  Among  other 
requests, the resolution called on the Commission to exert as much pressure as possible to ensure that 
third countries that have investor citizenship schemes in place and that benefit from visa-free travel 
under Annex  II to  Regulation (EU) 2018/1806  abolish those schemes, and to  submit a proposal  to 
amend Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 to include the operation of investor citizenship schemes 
as a ground for suspension of visa exemptions. 

32 

European Parliament resolution of 9 March 2022 with proposals to the Commission on citizenship and residence by 
investment schemes (2021/2026(INL)). 

34 

 
 
 
 
VANUATU  

Since 2015, Vanuatu has operated investor citizenship schemes whereby it has granted citizenship to 
nationals of other countries with no previous connection to Vanuatu, issuing positive decisions on the 
vast majority of applications. By March 2021, Vanuatu had issued over 10 500 passports under such 
schemes, with an extremely low rejection rate. 

Between 2017 and 2021, the Commission expressed serious concerns and warned the government of 
Vanuatu of the possibility of the visa requirement being reintroduced. The explanations provided by 
Vanuatu were not sufficient to mitigate those concerns. On that basis, the Commission adopted on 12 
January 2022 a proposal for a Council decision to suspend the visa waiver agreement with Vanuatu33. 
This was for the EU the first proposal ever to suspend a visa waiver agreement with a third country. 
The Council adopted on 3 March 2022 the decision to partially suspend the visa waiver agreement 
with  Vanuatu34.  Given  that  the  circumstances  which  gave  rise  to  the  partial  suspension  were  not 
remedied, on 12 October 2022 the Commission proposed a Council Decision on the full suspension of 
the agreement  from  4 February 2023.35  The Decision  was  adopted by the  Council on 8 November 
2022.36  Consequently,  on  1  December  2022,  the  Commission  adopted  a  delegated  Regulation  in 
accordance with Article 8(6)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, specifying that the exemption from 

33  

34  

35  

36  

Proposal for a Council Decision on the partial suspension of the application of the Agreement between the European 
Union and the Republic of Vanuatu on the short-stay visa waiver (COM/2022/6 final). 
Council Decision (EU) 2022/366 of 3 March 2022 on the partial suspension of the application of the Agreement 
between the European Union and the Republic of Vanuatu on the short-stay visa waiver. 
Proposal  for  a  Council  Decision  on  the  suspension  in  whole  of  the  application  of  the  Agreement  between  the 
European Union and the Republic of Vanuatu on the short-stay visa waiver. COM(2022) 531 final. 
Council  Decision  (EU)  2022/2198  of  8  November  2022  on  the  suspension  in  whole  of  the  application  of  the 
Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Vanuatu on the short-stay visa waiver. 

35 

 
 
 
 
the  visa  requirement  for  all  nationals  of  Vanuatu  is  suspended  from  4  February  2023  to  3  August 
202437. 

Since  the  entry  into  force  of  the  partial  suspension,  the  Commission  has  been  engaging  with  the 
competent  authorities of Vanuatu  in an  enhanced dialogue38, in  order to  remedy the  circumstances 
which led to the suspension of the visa exemption and allow the EU to lift the suspension.  

In March 2023, the government of Vanuatu issued an amendment to its Citizenship Act, with the aim 
of strengthening the security of its investor citizenship scheme. The assessment by the Commission of 
these legislative amendments is ongoing. It has been agreed that at the next meeting under the enhanced 
dialogue,  Vanuatu  will  explain  in  detail  the  legislative  changes  in  the  investor  schemes  that  the 
government adopted in March.  

The  exchanges  of  information  with  the  authorities  of  Vanuatu  will  continue  until  the  Commission 
considers  it  has  obtained  sufficient  information  to  complete  the  assessment  required  to  determine 
whether the circumstances which led to the suspension are remedied or still exist. Depending on the 
outcome of such assessment, the Commission will propose to lift the suspension or to transfer Vanuatu 
to the list of the visa-required countries, as set out in Article 8(7) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. 

37  

38  

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/222 of 1 December 2022 on the temporary suspension of the visa 
exemption for all nationals of Vanuatu. 
Article 8(6)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. 

36 

 
 
 
 
 
EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES 

Since  2020,  the  Commission  has  been  engaging  with  the  five  Eastern  Caribbean  states  operating 
investor citizenship schemes (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and 
Saint  Lucia)  to  obtain  relevant  information  and  data  on  those  schemes,  which  are  classified  as 
potentially posing a high-risk to the integrity of the Common Reporting Standard by OECD, raising 
suspicion of possible tax evasion and money laundering activities39. 

Based on the information received from the competent authorities, the Commission has concluded that 
all the investor schemes under assessment have a high number of successful applicants, with a total of 
at least 88 000 passports issued to date. For certain countries, this number is above 30 000 (34 500 
passports issued by Dominica; 36 742 by Saint Kitts and Nevis). At the same time, the rejection rate 
is extremely low (between 3 and 6 %), which, together with the short processing times (as little as two 
months in some cases), raises questions as regards the thoroughness of the security screening.   

The successful applicants include nationals that would otherwise require a visa to enter the EU. The 
main applicants’ nationalities,  according to  the  information  received, include China and  Russia,  as 
well as Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria and Libya, among others. In this regard, the Commission 
welcomed the decision of March 2022 taken by all five Caribbean countries to suspend the examination 
of applications from Russian and Belarusian nationals as a reaction to the Russian aggression against 
Ukraine. 

The  Caribbean  citizenship  by  investment  schemes  are  currently  some  of  the  least  expensive  in  the 
world for individual investors and families. In certain cases, the cost per individual is as low as USD 
100 000. The other schemes under assessment are only marginally higher priced.  

Information  exchange  with  applicants’  country  of  origin  or  main  past  residence,  based  on  the 
information received, takes place to some extent in 4 of the 5 countries assessed. However, this does 

39  

https://www.oecd.org/tax/automatic-exchange/crs-implementation-and-assistance/residence-citizenship-by-
investment/  

37 

 
 
 
 
not  appear  to  happen  in  a  systematic  manner.  All  five  countries  cooperate  with  the  CARICOM 
Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS)'s Joint Regional Communications Centre 
(JRCC)  who  assists  with  obtaining  confidential  information  on  each  member  of  the  application. 
However, none of the countries assessed require residence or even physical presence in the country 
before citizenship can be granted, or even during the application process.  

In  some  cases,  the  countries  make  use  of  private  agents  throughout  the  application  and  screening 
process, including for in-person checks and the verification of the documents submitted by applicants. 
The externalisation of the verification process to private companies is an additional factor that raises 
doubts as regards the access to law enforcement and judicial authorities’ information in the country of 
origin or main past residence.  

Finally,  to  various  extents,  all  five  countries  allow  successful  applicants  the  possibility  to  change 
identity after having obtained citizenship by investment. In Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, it is 
allowed as of five years after obtaining citizenship; in Grenada after one year; in Saint Kitts and Saint 
Nevis, it is allowed upon obtaining citizenship. In some cases, multiple name changes are also allowed 
(according to the available information, only Saint Kitts and Nevis limits it to one change).   

Overall, the short processing times, low fees, high number of applications and low rejection rates, as 
well  as  certain  aspects  of  the  security  screening  procedures  are  elements  which  suggest  that  the 
operation of such schemes could pose certain risks for the security of EU Member States. The fact that 
successful applicants are then allowed to change their identity once the new nationality is obtained 
raises further potential security risks.  

While bilateral consultations are ongoing, the Commission will continue to work in close cooperation 
with  those  third  countries  to  find  long-term  solutions  once  it  has  completed  its  assessment.  In  this 
context, the Commission will convene the Joint Committees of experts established by the bilateral visa 
waiver agreements, whose aim is to monitor the implementation of the agreements and settle disputes 
arising from their application. 

38 

 
 
 
 
CONCLUSION 

The Commission considers that all the eight EU neighbouring countries assessed under this report have 
taken action to address a number of the recommendations made in the  Fifth Report under the Visa 
Suspension Mechanism. For Georgia and Ukraine, whose nationals obtained the visa exemption less 
than 7 years ago and for which reporting on the fulfilment of the visa liberalisation benchmarks is still 
necessary, the Commission considers that the visa liberalisation requirements continue to be fulfilled. 
However,  all  eight  countries  need 
the  Commission’s 
recommendations. 

take  further  action 

to  address 

to 

Member States report overall good cooperation with all eight countries on both migration and security. 
Several of these countries need to continue addressing unfounded asylum applications, including by 
strengthening participation in EMPACT and continuing to organise targeted information campaigns. 
All countries should continue making progress on visa policy alignment, to prevent  the risk that third-
country nationals enter without visas in their territories and then continue travelling irregularly towards 
the EU. Further efforts are also needed in the fight against organised crime and corruption. 

Visa liberalisation has been a key part of the EU’s cooperation on migration, security, and justice with 
the countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership. It facilitates mobility and people-to-
people contacts and can also trigger key policy reforms in these countries. Close monitoring of this 
process will continue, including through meetings between senior officials, the regular Justice, Liberty 
and Security subcommittee meetings, and discussions between the EU and the countries covered in 
the report. The monitoring of issues related to the visa liberalisation benchmarks will also continue to 
be addressed in the Commission’s annual enlargement reports. 

The Commission will also continue to monitor all visa-free countries operating investor citizenship 
schemes and will intensify the dialogue with those countries in view of finding long-term solutions 
aimed at preventing any possible circumventions of the EU short-stay visa procedure and the in-depth 
assessment of individual migratory and security risks it entails. 

Finally,  the  Commission  will  continue  implementing  the  new  comprehensive  monitoring  approach 
announced in its Communication of 30 May 2023, covering all visa-free third countries. Based on the 
outcome of that monitoring process, the Commission will continue to report on visa-free third countries 
in relation to migratory and security challenges, beyond its reporting obligations. 

39