Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the follow-up to the Leaders’ Meeting on refugee flows along the Western Balkans Route

The unprecedented flows of refugees and migrants starting late summer 2015 and escalating in the autumn followed a common route. The "Western Balkans" route became the focus of the challenge faced by Europe, with over 650,000 people crossing from Turkey to Greece in 2015, most travelling up through the Western Balkans to Central and Northern Europe. These movements were not only unpredictable and unprecedented in size, they often took place at great speed, and sparked the concern that countries were simply passing on the people to neighbours further along the route. This revealed a striking lack of capacity, cooperation and solidarity, as well as basic communication between the countries along the route: a specific problem which required a specific operational and political solution at European level.

On 25 October 2015, President Juncker convened a meeting of the Heads of State or Government of the countries concerned. The Heads of State or Government of Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia took part, and were joined by the President of the European Parliament, the President of the European Council, the current and incoming Presidencies of the Council of the European Union, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The Leaders agreed a 17-point plan of action for immediate implementation, covering both how to cooperate, and what to achieve collectively to better manage the flows of migrants and refugees, notably as regards reception capacities and border management. This work has been taken forward in full complementarity with the EU's broader efforts on tackling the refugee crisis, with the participation of the Presidency of the Council to ensure coherence. Ahead of the European Council of 17-18 December 2015, this report aims to take stock of the implementation of the Leaders' Statement.

ESO: Background information: Meeting on the Western Balkans Migration Route: Leaders Agree on 17-point plan of action http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-meeting-on-the-western-balkans-migration-route-leaders-agree-on-17-point-plan-of-action/

---