EU boosts cooperation with Serbia on migration control

"Reinforcing border management along the whole migration route is essential to reduce irregular arrivals, also considering the evolving modus operandi of smugglers, and the risks of firearms trafficking and organised crime. The agreement will allow Frontex to carry out joint operations and deploy the European Border and Coast Guard standing corps anywhere on the territory of Serbia, including its borders with neighbouring non-EU countries," the EU said in a statement earlier this week.

The agreement was signed by EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and Serb interior minister Ivica Dacic in Belgrade, finalising negotiations that started in May 2023 and updating the current framework in use since May 2021.

"With the Frontex Status Agreement we sign today, we are upgrading our cooperation. Always under command of Serbian authorities, always at the initiative of Serbian authorities, Frontex will now also be able to support Serbian border guards and law enforcement at the borders with Bosnia Herzegovina and North Macedonia," Johansson said in the statement.

Frontex currently deploys more 480 officers in the Western Balkans, through joint operations at the EU's external borders with Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro, including 111 officers already deployed in Serbia at the borders with Hungary and Bulgaria.

The agreement will come into effect once it is approved by the European Parliament and Council, and Serbia completes its national ratification process.