BERLIN

Germany on Tuesday vowed to enhance cooperation among EU member states and Western Balkan countries to stem irregular migration.




Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said discussions were underway between the EU and Western Balkan countries on setting up joint police centers and conducting joint patrols to combat human smugglers.




“We have agreed today to further intensify cooperation among our police forces,” Faeser told reporters, after meeting her counterparts from European and Western Balkan states in Berlin.




“For us, it is particularly important to improve the data exchange procedures with the Western Balkan countries in the areas of migration management,” Faeser said, adding that they were working on expanding Eurodac, the EU's asylum fingerprint database.




She said EU candidate countries in the Western Balkans could be connected to Eurodac, so that the fingerprints of asylum seekers and irregular migrants could be added to this database, and the EU can better track irregular movements.




“We also discussed the use of police measures, which have been successful at the EU's internal borders, and can be extended to the Western Balkan countries in a similar way. This includes, for example, opening joint police centres, and conducting joint patrols. We also want to further increase support for Western Balkan countries for returning irregular migrants,” Faeser said.




The meeting of interior ministers from European and Western Balkan states came after Germany reintroduced temporary checks on all its land borders in an attempt to curb irregular migration.




Since Monday, federal police have been conducting “targeted checks” at the border regions and border crossing points to identify and turn away illegal migrants.




Germany's border checks will continue for at least six months. Those who do not have the right to enter or stay in the country will be turned away at the border.




Europe's largest economy remains a top destination for irregular migrants and asylum seekers arriving in the EU. Last year, German authorities registered 266,224 cases of illegal entry and residence. Many of them were Syrians and Afghans.




While most refugees enter Europe via Italy, Greece, or Bulgaria, many of them travel through the Western Balkan countries to Germany, where they have more opportunities.




According to EU regulations, asylum seekers should apply for refugee status in the first European country they enter. Those who are granted asylum are supposed to be distributed across EU member states, but the system has been dysfunctional for years due to the reluctance of several member states to take in refugees.