The Epik Institute has presented data on how visa liberalization has affected the number of asylum seekers from Kosovo within the European Union and whether there was migration of Kosovo citizens to the EU in the first year of visa liberalization.
EPIK emphasizes that while in the first year of visa liberalization there was a 144% increase in the number of asylum seekers from Kosovo, this increase was temporary and within the predicted parameters.
"During 2024, a total of 5,635 requests for asylum from Kosovo citizens in EU countries were registered. The main destinations of asylum seekers were France (3,150), Germany (1,665) and Italy (485)," the EPIK report states.
According to the EPIK institute, although asylum requests from Kosovo increased by 144% in the first year of visa liberalization, this increase is actually quite low when compared to the increase in the number of asylum seekers from other countries in the region in their first year of visa liberalization.
In the case of North Macedonia, the number of asylum seekers increased by 895%, in the case of Serbia by 356%, and in the case of Albania by 166%. Only Montenegro and Bosnia managed to keep the increase in the number of asylum seekers below 100%. /Telegrafi/
