Zagreb, August 10 (Xinhua)-Croatia became the first European Union (EU) country to introduce independent screening of police actions against immigrants and asylum seekers at the border, local The newspaper Vecernji list reported on Tuesday.

According to the new immigration and asylum agreement proposed by the European Commission in September 2020, all EU member states need to monitor police actions against immigrants.

The Vecernji list explained that an independent Croatian organization would evaluate police actions at the border.

In 2020, the Croatian border guard was accused of violence against migrants and refugees who were found to have crossed the border illegally. However, the Croatian government has rejected all allegations of misconduct.

As one of the EU’s cross-border countries, Croatia is on the so-called Balkan route. The Balkan route became famous in 2015, when thousands of migrants, mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, passed on their way to Western and Northern Europe.

According to Vecherniists, there were about 7,000 illegal cross-border attempts from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia in 2021, a 10% decrease compared to the same period in 2020.

The new Immigration and Asylum Agreement aims to promote safe and legitimate routes for immigrants and to create a fair immigration process. Under the agreement, fair management of external borders includes checking identities, health and security, and better implementation of asylum policies.