Skopje, 29 January 2026 (MIA) — The EU's new Pact on Migration and Asylum cannot be viewed only as a European document as it concerns the Western Balkans as well; so a coordinated approach is not an option, but a necessity, if regional reforms are to be efficient and sustainable, according to the participants in the 18th session of the National Convention on the EU's Workgroup 4 on Justice, Freedom and Security (Chapter 24), held Thursday to discuss the new Pact on Migration and Asylum and related challenges in the Western Balkans, organized by the European Movement in the Republic of Macedonia.

In his opening remarks, Minister of Justice Igor Filkov said migrant smuggling was a rapidly growing global criminal phenomenon that no country can effectively deal with alone. He said it was necessary to develop common standards and strengthen international cooperation.

"The Republic of North Macedonia has ratified all relevant international instruments in this area. I would single out the UN Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air as a key document," Filkov said, adding that the country was still facing challenges related to the consistent application of accepted international standards, especially regarding international cooperation.

According to Ministry of Justice data, 46 cases were filed in 2024 regarding the crime of migrant smuggling, of which 44 were in European countries. In 2025, 56 cases were filed. For the offense of organizing a group and inciting trafficking and migrant smuggling, eight cases were filed in 2024, of which seven were with European countries, and 11 cases were filed in 2025.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior and national coordinator for dealing with migration, migrant smuggling and human trafficking Sasho Petrushevski said the national program for 2026-30 had already been developed and submitted to the government for approval.

He said the program would strengthen the borders and national security. It would also introduce "a restrictive policy toward migrants" in terms of institutional procedures and it would also align national regulations with the EU's.

According to Petrushevski, asylum and migration management is one of the EU's most complex and sensitive policies and the Pact for Asylum and Migration Management was a result of almost a decade of intense negotiations.

However, he said, there were serious questions raised about its practical implementation, respect for human rights and the impact on countries outside the union that are part of the migration routes.

"This is where the role of the Western Balkans becomes crucial. The reality is that Western Balkan countries have long been not merely a periphery of the EU's migration policy," he said, adding that the Balkan route was an integral part of the EU's migration management.

"Although we are not formally EU members, we still directly feel the consequences of every change in European policies," Petrushevski said.

He also highlighted there was a real opportunity and a need for the Western Balkan countries to make an active contribution to the ongoing process of migration reforms.

The pact's measures, Petrushevski added, would not be immediately binding on the Western Balkan countries, but some of those policies would inevitably need to be aligned with during the accession process. This should not be perceived as a forced obligation, he said, but a tool for improving national migration management systems.

Council of Public Prosecutors president Bashkim Besimi stressed the importance of abiding by relevant laws and promoting the cooperation between the Public Prosecutor's Office and the police as a prerequisite for efficient criminal prosecution and upholding the rule of law.

NCEU-MK national coordinator and European Movement president Mileva Gjurovska said current migration trends were the result of multiple parallel crises, conflicts, economic inequalities, climate change, demographic and other challenges.

According to her, migration is no longer a temporary phenomenon, but a deep structural problem, which is why serious efforts are needed for its systemic management.

"We are aware a single debate cannot cover all aspects of this complex problem, but this format of dialogue provides an opportunity to create clear, applicable and common recommendations," Gjurovska said.

The working session featured two panels on the Western Balkan route, discussing institutional capacities, border management, asylum and human rights protection as well as the regulation of labor rights of immigrants as an important segment of the integration process. Panelists included state institution representatives from North Macedonia and Serbia, civil society experts, members of the judiciary and academia members.

The National Convention on the European Union in the Republic of North Macedonia is a democratic, expert-driven platform established in 2017 to foster dialogue and speed up the country's EU integration process. It facilitates structured discussions between civil society, state institutions, and experts to produce recommendations for negotiating chapters.

The platform is implemented by the European Movement in the Republic of North Macedonia in cooperation with the Slovak Association for Foreign Policy. mr/