Czech minister urges Western Balkans to harmonise visa policy with EU

Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan has urged the Western Balkan states to harmonise their visa policies with the EU. Speaking at a ministerial forum in Tirana on Thursday, Mr Rakušan said the measure would reduce the number of migrants heading for the EU along the Balkans route.

The Czech interior minister said that such a move was a prerequisite to cancelling checks on the EU's internal borders, such as those currently in place on the Czech-Slovak border.

A growing number of migrants have been using the Western Balkan states, which have visa-friendly policies, as a gateway to enter the EU.