The increase in asylum seekers from the Balkans was a predictable consequence of a foreign policy driven visa liberalisation

Since the liberalisation of the EU’s visa policy towards the Balkans in 2009/2010, some EU member states have become concerned at what they term a ‘dramatic’ increase in unfounded asylum claims from that region. Mogens Hobolth investigates the controversy, finding that while the number of asylum claims has increased in recent years, it was a predictable outcome for the EU’s policymakers who had prioritised foreign policy and enlargement over migration control. The concern over unfounded asylum seekers is also tenuous. It implies that the EU’s borders are open to persons in genuine need of protection but that is by no means obvious.