The European Union's strategy for the Balkan region has resulted in a significant increase in the number of migrants and refugees who have become stuck in the Western Balkans and Greece, despite efforts to close the Schengen borders and reduce migration flows. The strategy began in October 2015 when EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met with leaders from affected countries to coordinate efforts to close the Balkan route and manage potential new arrivals. Since then, these countries have constructed barriers, mobilized military forces, and equipped logistics for border control.
In March 2016 to March 2017, the number of migrants in the Western Balkans and Greece increased by over 50%, from 47,097 to 74,135, according to data from the International Organization for Migration. This increase contrasts with the decrease in migration through eastern routes, where arrivals on Greek islands dropped to fewer than 200-300 weekly, compared to more than 2,000 daily at the end of 2015, and similarly for Bulgaria.
While the EU and many member states aim to improve living conditions for migrants and refugees, organizations and governments in the Balkan countries criticize this paradoxical situation where the EU seeks to provide accommodation while also closing borders to them. The EU's support for these countries through various European funds may be seen as part of this dual logic. Actions like those taken by German or Danish state development agencies, and Hungarian NGOs with government support in Serbia, offer assistance to refugees in transit centers.
The EU's unannounced plan involves turning the Western Balkans into a large bottleneck zone composed of multiple fortified states. The goal is to prevent people entering Schengen territory, as occurred in late 2015. This strategy not only strengthens the Fortress Europe but also establishes strong defenses along every Balkan border from Greece to Austria. In essence, it aims to transform the Balkans into an area of multiple fortress states nearly impossible to cross for anyone seeking to move between them. The primary consequence is the creation of numerous bottlenecks along each Balkan border, leading to the proliferation of dozens of reception and transit centers with varying conditions, where tens of thousands of people await a better future with frustration and resignation.
