“Ten Thousands of irregular migrants must go back to where they started their journey” declares the Director of MARRI Regional Centre Sashko Kocev, on the 8^th of November 2018 in Budva, Montenegro. “Readmission means that nationals who irregularly entered other countries without a right to stay must be taken back by their home countries or by the country of their last residence”.

21,413 migrants and refugees arrived to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania in 2018, almost 10 times more than the overall yearly arrivals reported in all three countries in 2017. At the end of September 2018, additional 6,660 are reported to reside in different countries along the Western Balkans route, according to IOM.

Migration, Asylum and Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI), under the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted the meeting where Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, KosovoÜ, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia decided to revitalize a Readmission Network between themselves and between the Western Balkans and the EU.

National and international experts from the Western Balkans, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova convened to discuss Border Management, Asylum, Trafficking in Human Beings and Readmission. They agreed to intensify and extend their professional networks and called for urgently needed support from the EU, IOM and friendly European governments like Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and others.

 “New Readmission Agreements should be signed with countries of origin of irregular migrants, such as Near and Middle East and North Africa”, advocates Kocev from the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI). “MARRI carefully monitors the current challenges. The Western Balkans and the EU must cooperate much closer than ever before. With bilateral and international support, we want to be prepared.”

“Any help is welcome and needed; the migration is a national, regional and global challenge.”

Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency-in-Office of MARRI, through its Ministry of Security also sees the successful implementation of the Readmission Agreements as an urgent priority. Assistant Minister - Sector for Asylum, Mr Marijan Baotic, the Assistant Director of Border Police Mr. Slobodan Krstic and Chief of Cabinet of Service for Foreigner’s Affairs, Mr. Branislav Mojevic, attended the meeting on behalf of the Ministry.