Visas

Serbian media sources reported on Wednesday that 22,500 Serbian citizens applied for asylum in EU countries in 2013 a 17-per-cent increase on the figure for 2012.

Ivan Gerginov, Serbia’s assistant commissioner for refugees and migration, said the hike would not affect Serbia’s visa-free regime with the EU Schengen area.

Italy's Ambassador to Bulgaria Marco Conticelli has vowed support for the Schengen bids of Bulgaria and Romania during Italy's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Italy holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the period July-December 2014.

In a move that is expected to ease immigration pressure on Greece’s eastern border, the Turkish Parliament on Thursday ratified a readmission agreement with the European Union.

Under the deal, which was signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels in December, Turkey will have to take back immigrants who enter the bloc illegally via Turkey.

The Turkish Parliament June 25 ratified the Readmission Agreement between Ankara and Brussels, in a step welcomed by top EU officials.

Secretary of State for European Affairs George Ciamba in Luxembourg on Tuesday participated in the General Affairs Council meeting, the discussions having focused mainly on the preparation of the Summer European Council meeting (June 26-27, 2014), granting the candidate status to Albania, the annual exercise European Semester of coordinating the economic policies in the EU and the

Prime Minister Milanovic on Thursday said that Croatia would apply join the Schengen zone on July 1, 2015, two years after joining the European club.

"One year ago, I said that one of our cabinet's major goals would be to make Croatia fit to formally apply for membership of the Schengen zone in the shortest possible time after joining the EU, that is, two years," Milanovic said.

After two years of talks, Greek and Australian officials have agreed on a “work and holiday” visa exchange scheme that would grant 500 young people a one-year work permit as part of a pilot program aimed at boosting tourism and bilateral relations.

Moldova on Monday became the first country east of the EU whose citizens have the right to visa-free travel to the 26 European countries that comprise the Schengen area.

Moldova won the approval of the EU for the change after undertaking a series of reforms, including providing secure travel documents and improving border and migration management.

Moldova's citizens will soon be able to travel to the EU's border-free Schengen area without a visa, under a draft law approved by Parliament on Thursday.

Militant Islamists living in the European Union have tried to cross Greece’s borders on their way to back the armed struggle against the Assad regime in Syria, Greek security officials have told Sunday’s Kathimerini.