Include Balkan countries in the Schengen visa to stop immigrant influx, advises Prime Minister of Czech Republic

Prague/Brussels: – The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic has suggested that the Balkan countries be included in the Schengen area to curb the influx of illegal immigrants into European countries. Prime Minister Andrej Babis also claimed that the Schengen facility had failed to deter refugees in the current situation. Babis also blamed Schengen’s failure for the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe.

In 2015 and beyond, Germany announced an ‘open door policy’ for refugees from the Gulf and Asia. Taking advantage of this, more than one million refugees infiltrated the European Union. It has adversely affected European culture and values, and Europe’s security also is threatened. Leaders and analysts in various countries are drawing attention to the fact that Europe has not yet recovered from this crisis. The statement made by the Czech Prime Minister seems to be part of the same sentiment.

The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan. Against this backdrop, international groups have warned that millions of Afghans will flee the country and enter other countries as refugees over the next year. Thousands of Afghan refugees are expected to arrive in Europe, and several member states have started preparations to oppose it. A few days ago, Greece’s Migration Minister, Notis Mitarachi, warned that the European Union was not ready to accommodate the new influx of refugees as it had in 2015.

Countries such as Greece and Turkey have taken steps to prevent the influx of refugees by erecting ‘border walls’. Countries such as Poland and Lithuania have also erected fences and deployed military along their borders. Some countries have entered into agreements with African countries to accommodate refugees in those countries. Against this backdrop, Czech Prime Minister Babis’s advice to include the Balkans to stop refugees is noteworthy.

Babis suggested that the Balkan countries of Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia be included in the Schengen. Babis claims that taking these countries into Schengen will make protecting Europe’s borders from refugees easier. At the same time, the Czech Prime Minister has suggested that agreements be reached with countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Libya regarding refugees.

In any case, Europe needs to be protected from the influx of refugees, warned Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis. He also pointed out that some of the countries that welcomed refugees in 2015 are now rejecting them. In 2015, the European Union set a quota for refugees in member countries. Poland and the Czech Republic, along with Hungary, took the lead in denying the quota.