Hahn: Poor economic perspective,not visas,reason to flee KiM

BRUSSELS - European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn dismissed the claims by Pristina officials that the restrictive visa regime has caused the surge of illegal migration from Kosovo-Metohija (KiM).

I utterly disagree with the claims that people flee from KiM because of visas, Hahn said at a press conference in Brussels dedicated to his visits to Skopje, Pristina and Kiev earlier this week.

Hahn underlined that the increasing number of Kosovo Albanians illegally migrating to western European countries is caused by the difficult economic situation and a lack of economic perspective.

Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and his deputy Hasim Taci said that the reason behind the mass migration is the fact that the citizens of Kosovo are the only ones in the region who cannot travel to the Schengen area without visas, so they find it easier and cheaper to cross the border between Serbia and Hungary illegally.

The commissioner said that the solution to this situation should be sought in the improvement of the economic circumstances by creating a more favorable climate for foreign investors and combating corruption, noting that the EU has allocated EUR 660 million for Kosovo's economic development in the next five years.

I am satisfied with the measures taken by the Kosovo government, it looks to me that they have already started to yield results, Hahn said.

Commenting on the visit to Skopje, Hahn underlined that the current political crisis in Macedonia should be solved through the parliament and state institutions.

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