Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

Oscar Benedict, deputy head of the EU Delegation to Serbia visited the reception centre for migrants in Preševo on Wednesday, 19 August and announced a direct European Union donation of 390,000 euros as short-term assistance to Serbia in overcoming the increased migratory flows.

Of the total financial package of 390,000 euros, the European Commission Department for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) is providing 150,000 euros of humanitarian aid for mitigating migratory pressures in Serbia. This support will be provided through the Emergency Aid Fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help the Red Cross of Serbia during the next three months in providing necessary assistance to migrants and asylum-seekers, as well as children. Assistance will be sent to centres for the reception of migrants across Serbia, including the centre in Preševo, intended for the most vulnerable refugees, including families with children. Support will also be directed to migrants and asylum-seekers temporarily residing in public parks and abandoned buildings.

In addition to this, the EU Delegation to Serbia will provide 240,000 euros from pre-accession funds (IPA funds) for additional needs. This will help meet additional needs, such as waste disposal, water supply, hygiene, etc. These needs will be more precisely defined during the coming few weeks in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans’ and Social Issues and the Commissariat for Refugees.

In addition to this direct donation, the EU will continue providing support to reforming the asylum system in Serbia in the mid-term and long-term. It has already earmarked around 8.2 million euros from pre-accession funds for Serbia for projects already being implemented or to begin implementation within the next year:

• 3.2 million euros will be used to expand the existing accommodation capacities for migrants in Serbia.
• A twinning project worth one million euros is under way, aimed at drafting a new Law on Asylum and accelerating the reform of the asylum system.
• 4 million euros were earmarked for the further development of the system for border supervision in Serbia.

A regional programme worth 8 million euros is currently under preparation to deal with managing migration in Western Balkans countries and Turkey, primarily in regards to Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Source: europa.rs