Unlawful residency and unfounded asylum claims from some western Balkan states, plus Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, is triggering discussions on suspending visa-free travel to the EU, writes EUobserver. According to the agency, they became aware of the contents of the EU internal report, which is dated September 27.

“Unlawful residency and unfounded asylum claims from some western Balkan states, plus Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, is triggering discussions on suspending visa-free travel to the EU.

The internal EU document, dated 27 September and seen by EUobserver, comes a day ahead of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s Western Balkan tour, itself ahead of a Balkan and a separate Ukraine summit later this month.

Frustration appears to be mounting among France, Germany, and Italy, amid a wider discussion on stopping the alleged abuse.

People from Montenegro, Serbia, and North Macedonia have been allowed to travel to the EU without a visa for up to 90 days since December 2009. This was followed in 2010 with Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova in 2014, and Georgia and Ukraine in 2017.

Visa-free travel is viewed by the European Commission as a "significant achievement" in relations between the EU and the Western Balkans and the former Soviet states under its “Eastern Partnership” policy umbrella.

But not everyone is happy, as the threat of the so-called “Visa Suspension Mechanism” is now actively being discussed.

A more than 50-percent increase in irregular stays, or applicants for asylum with low recognition rates, are needed for the visas to be reimposed.

Countries that refuse to take back their nationals can also see the return of visas.

In the document, Germany took umbrage with Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. It also faulted Albania and Serbia as among the top 10 problem countries.

It registered spikes in “unauthorised residence offences” from Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine - despite an overall drop last year due to the pandemic.

It also cited a 51-percent increase in Georgian asylum claims over the past three months, when compared to the same period in 2019”, - writes EUobserver.