Migrants arriving in BiH use porous borders and smugglers. In the past, last two months, more and more migrants are coming from Burundi. Citizens of Burundi have used the visa-free regime in Serbia, so they arrived in Belgrade by plane, and then at the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Anitta Hipper from the European Commission answered N1's question about how the European Commission views the current situation regarding migration in the Western Balkans:

“It is crucial that the partners from the Western Balkans harmonize their visa policy with the EU policy for the good functioning of the EU visa-free regime. This year there was a particularly strong increase in the Western Balkan route, especially due to the non-alignment of the Western Balkan partners with the EU visa policy. The Commission is closely monitoring the situation along the Western Balkan route. Increased vigilance is needed with regard to arrivals in EU member states along the route,” states Hipper, adding that BiH has taken significant steps to improve migration management.

“The Ministry of Security continued its efforts to improve coordination with local authorities and encouraged international cooperation. However, major weaknesses continue to undermine the provision of much-needed assistance. Bosnia and Herzegovina should urgently adopt a strategy and action plan on migration, step up efforts to ensure access to asylum and strengthen border management,” she said.

She added that non-compliance with EU visa policy can lead to an increase in the number of irregular arrivals on the Western Balkans route and that states should deal with this as a matter of priority.

There are currently around three thousand migrants in reception centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina.