Salzburg Forum: Bosnia and Herzegovina key to Schengen area security

This was the message from Croatian and Slovenian Interior Ministers Davor Božinović and Boštjan Poklukar and European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, speaking in Zagreb on Wednesday.

They were speaking on the second day of the Salzburg Forum, a group of nine countries established in 2000 to promote international police cooperation in tackling illegal migration, protecting witnesses and combating drug trafficking.

"Monday was a big day for our political cooperation," Minister Poklukar said, referring to the launch of a trilateral police patrol involving Italy, Slovenia and Croatia along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, aimed at strengthening the protection of the Schengen area.

"The police are there to reduce barriers through cooperation and to cut the number of illegal migrations," Minister Božinović said, adding that a similar operation involving five countries is being planned for the border between Bulgaria, an EU member, and Turkey.

Commissioner Brunner underlined the importance of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for the EU's security, expressing satisfaction that last week the long-awaited status agreement between Frontex and BiH was finally signed.

Under the agreement, permanent personnel of the EU's border and coast guard agency will be able to be deployed anywhere along the country's borders and at its airports.

The commissioner personally signed the agreement with the Chairwoman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto, in Brussels last Wednesday.

From 'tourists' to illegal migrants

Božinović pointed to a major challenge faced by the police forces of Western Balkan countries - the lack of alignment between the visa regimes of EU member states and those of non-member countries.

"More than 50% of asylum seekers in Croatia arrive in neighbouring countries using regular commercial transport and within 24 hours switch from tourist status to illegal migrants, putting pressure on our external border," Božinović explained, adding that "this issue must be resolved, especially for countries from which the largest number of illegal migrants arrive at our borders."

Brunner confirmed that negotiations concluded in Strasbourg on Tuesday on facilitating the suspension of visa-free regimes with third countries in such cases.

The most important issues for the European Commission in relation to the Western Balkan countries are precisely the alignment of visa regimes, migrant smuggling, human trafficking and asylum procedures, and we are cooperating in these areas, the EU commissioner confirmed.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a member of the Salzburg Forum of interior ministers, which is taking place in Zagreb on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it belongs to the Group of Friends, along with other Western Balkan countries - Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Moldova.