KRIZA E REFUGJATËVE DHE RREZIQET PËR EVROPEN DHE BALLKANIN PERËNDIMOR
REFUGEE CRISIS AND SECURITY RISKS FOR WESTERN BALKANS AND EUROPE

Summary/Abstract: The war in Syria, conflict in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Eritrea and other countries, showing violence, poverty, seeking a place to live, looking for a job, in hope for a better life for them and their families, influx the refugees and migrants to Europe. This has led to an estimated number of more than a million people flocked to Europe only for the last two years. According to UNHCR data Western Balkans path has been exploited as illegal migrants gate to Western Europe. Refugee crisis finds Balkan countries not well prepared for such a large number of refugees. More emphasis has been put to humanitarian issues than to the political and security-terrorism issues. This surge was followed by terrorist attacks in Belgium, France and Germany which has caused serious fears and shock to people about terrorism.The EU's border agency Frontex admits insufficient checks are being carried out. ISIS has boasted of sending fighters to Europe posing as refugees. The FRONTEX Risk Analysis for 2016concluded: The Paris attacks in November 2015 clearly demonstrated that irregular migratory flows could be used by terrorists to enter the EU. With a large number of persons arriving with false or no identification documents raising concerns over the validity of their claimed nationality and there is a risk that some persons representing a security threat to the Balkans countries and EU may be taking advantage of this situation. Also raised concerns that Balkans citizens who had joined war in Syria were taking advantage of the irregular migrations flows to return back home.The fact that at least one of the terrorists of 13 November in Paris had entered the EU along the Balkan route shows that the phenomenon of terrorists should not be underestimated in the context of migration. Terrorism experts in Western Balkan countries warn against the hysteria of perceiving almost every male refugee as a potential terrorist. Concerns about terrorism and the refugees are legitimate, but the fears being voiced are exaggerated and the concerns raised often the wrong ones. This paper will explores the question of how the Western Balkans have been affected by the refugee crisis and EU enlargment, responses and cooperation of transit countries, terrorist threats.

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