Balkan route migration has shaped European asylum policy for decades. Donatella Bradic draws on thirty years with the International Organization for Migration to explain smuggling networks, EU border control, and the Western Balkans transit corridor.

Get the enhanced episode transcript here 👉🏻 www.emmanuel-comte.eu/product/enhanced-transcript-28/.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qn0lnl3jf6o

In this interview, Emmanuel Comte speaks with Donatella Bradić, Senior Program Coordinator at IOM, who reflects on three decades managing migration in the Western Balkans. From the Yugoslav wars to digital smuggling networks and EU border reforms, this episode explores the evolution of the route, the role of the IOM, and the future of EU migration governance. Topics include regional diplomacy, unaccompanied minors, biometric registration, externalization of asylum, and the rise of labor migration in the Balkans.

This interview was arranged by Lisa Sottanelli and edited by Andriana Lagoudes. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 101034403.

00:00 Introduction
02:49 From Conflict to Career - Personal Journey
04:30 Evolving Migration Practices
07:58 Anatomy of the Balkan route
23:15 The Digital Smuggler’s toolkit
28:12 The Role and Evolution of IOM
43:43 Regional Migration Dynamics and Reception Capacities
59:52 EU Accession and Institutional Reform
01:02:57 Conclusion