“Complete success” of the Western Balkans Regulation in Germany. From June to November 2024, the German authorities issued 25,000 work permits for workers from the Western Balkans. Since the extension of the Western Balkans Regulation by the German government in June of this year, the number of workers from the region in Germany has doubled. From June to November 2024, the German authorities issued 25,000 work permits for citizens from Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Montenegro, as many as for the whole of last year.
According to information, most of the migrant workers came from Kosovo (5,564) and Serbia (4,239).
The data comes from the response of the Federal Ministry of Labor to a request from the liberals. The Western Balkans Regulation proposed by the German government in 2016 was intended to reduce the number of asylum applications from Balkan countries.
It was described as a “complete success” by the deputy chairman of the Liberal Party, Konstantin Kuhle, who even called for a further increase in the quota of workers not only from the Balkans, but also from other countries. “The meaning of this Western Balkans Regulation is that by facilitating access to the German labor market, we reduce irregular migration in the asylum system.” This regulation makes it possible to obtain an employment visa in Germany regardless of qualifications. A concrete job offer or an employment contract is a prerequisite for this.