Traduction de «pays des balkans occidentaux » (Français → Anglais) :

51. Reaffirms its staunch support for visa liberalisation for the Western Balkan countries; calls on Serbia and the EU Member States most affected to tackle together the issue of bogus asylum applicants; recalling that this liberalisation represents the most visible and concrete achievement of the European integration process in the region, calls on them to do their utmost to strictly implement all the necessary criteria and measures for visa-free travel to the Schengen countries; stresses that putting the visa-free regime on ice would be a significantly setback for the accession process of the Western Balkan countries benefiting from ...[+++] it; notes that Serbia needs to further engage further with the EU Member States’ authorities in dealing with bogus asylum applicants, also through the adoption and implementation of reforms to improve the situation of minorities whose members have in many cases abused the visa-free regimes and asylum policies of some Member States; calls on the Member States that are most affected by the inflow of false asylum seekers to adopt appropriate mechanisms for dealing with these cases, above all by classifying the Western Balkan countries as ‘countries of safe origin’; furthermore, calls on the Member States to assist Serbia in its efforts to fight organised crime in connection with the trafficking of false asylum seekers; notes, moreover, that Serbia is increasingly becoming a recipient country of asylum seekers, needing therefore more efficient management of asylum requests; stresses that it is necessary to duly inform citizens about the limitations of the visa-free regime in order to prevent any kind of abuse of freedom of travel and visa liberalisation policy; notes that this liberalisation is one of the biggest achievements in Serbia’s recent progress towards EU, and that any suspension would certainly have negative social, economic and political implications;

With five Western Balkan countries — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia — Visa Facilitation Agreements entered into force on 1 January 2008, as a first concrete step forward along the path set out by the Thessaloniki agenda towards a visa-free travel regime for the citizens of Western Balkan countries.

8. Stresses that all parties concerned must make serious efforts to find mutually acceptable solutions to outstanding bilateral disputes between Member States and countries of the Western Balkans and among countries of the Western Balkans themselves; stresses in this context that good-neighbourly relations and acceptance of the respective cultural and historic heritage are extremely important for preserving peace and enhancing stability and security; believes that the opening of accession negotiations with the countries of the Western Balkans and the opening and closing of individual negotiation chapters should not be obstructed or blo ...[+++]cked over questions relating to bilateral disputes and that, for this reason, countries should agree on procedures for solving bilateral issues before the start of accession negotiations;

7. Stresses that all parties concerned must make serious efforts to find mutually acceptable solutions to outstanding bilateral disputes between EU Member States and countries of the Western Balkans and among countries of the Western Balkans themselves; stresses in this context that good-neighbourly relations and acceptance of the respective cultural and historic heritage are extremely important for preserving peace and enhancing stability and security; believes that the opening of accession negotiations with the countries of the Western Balkans and the opening and closing of individual negotiation chapters should not be obstructed or ...[+++]blocked over questions relating to bilateral disputes and that, for this reason, countries should agree on procedures for solving bilateral issues before the start of accession negotiations;

12. Welcomes the inclusion of the Western Balkan countries in the Erasmus Mundus and Tempus programmes; calls on those countries to establish the national agencies necessary in order to take part in the Lifelong Learning Programmes (LLL), namely Comenius, Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci; calls on the Commission to use the IPA funds to waive the full fee paid by the Western Balkan states to participate in the LLL Programmes, as is already the case with Erasmus Mundus and Tempus; calls for increased cooperation and improved possibilities for cross-border exchanges for students, teachers and researchers from the Western Balkan states and t ...[+++]he EU in order to familiarise the people and institutions of the Western Balkan states with the EU agenda and to strengthen educational skills; points out, however, the massive rate of brain drain among young people in Western Balkans and stresses the need to encourage return migration;

The European Council of 19 and 20 June 2003 adopted the ‘Thessaloniki Agenda for the Western Balkans: Moving towards European integration’, which invited the Western Balkan countries to participate in Community programmes and agencies; therefore, the Western Balkans countries should be recognised as potential participants in Community programmes.