Thousands Leave Kosovo Seeking Asylum in EU

The number of Kosovo Albanians trying to illegally enter the European Union is on the rise, with the Hungarian Police reporting that 880 people from Kosovo were arrested on Sunday and a total of around 4,400 in the period from Friday to Sunday.

The numbers represent the biggest exodus of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo since the conflict in the late 1990s, with Hungarian embassy in Pristina saying that the total number of Kosovo Albanian in the EU country could be higher than 60,000.

The illegal migrants, most whom say they are leaving because of the lack of opportunities in Kosovo, can easily enter Serbia because of an agreement between the countries on travel with ID cards.

They then try to cross the border with Hungary at night, usually with the assistance of smugglers, travelling illegally because they still need visas for the EU.

"I left five months ago. I crossed the border illegally and then went to Budapest. From Budapest I took the train to Austria," a 24-year-old migrant who spoke to Balkan Insight on condition of anonymity.

He said he then stayed at a camp for asylum seekers in Austria but was subsequently deported. "I was in Traiskirchen for a little over a month, which is when they sent me back to Kosovo by plane," he said.

After staying in Kosovo for a couple of months, he decided to try his luck again a week ago. He and two other friends successfully crossed the border with Hungary, reaching the town of Gyor, from where he spoke to Balkan Insight.

Kosovo president Atifete Jahjaga kicked off an awareness-raising campaign about the EU asylum-seeking issue on Friday, visiting the towns of Vushtrri and Ferizaj, which have been hit hard by the phenomenon. In Vushtrri, a local school has reported that it has lost 440...