On the 12th and 13th of March 2012, the Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia in association with the TAIEX Directorate – General Enlargement of the European Commission, organized a workshop on the topic of, “Managing perceptions: Reception of asylum seekers on the local level“ in hotel Moscow in Belgrade.

The workshop was attended by over 100 participants from 10 countries: representatives of state authorities of the Republic of Serbia which are involved in the migration management system, the representatives of the relevant institutions for the asylum matters in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Turkey, EU experts  from Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Slovenia, UNHCR experts along with the representatives of the embassies of EU. The workshop was also attended by the numerous representatives of the international community in Serbia – as well as representatives of the academic community and civil society.

During the two-day workshop, participants had the opportunity to present the asylum system in their respective countries and share concrete examples of establishing and running the asylum centres, as well as experience of reducing tensions among local community and asylum seekers.

Judging by the participants’s reactions and evaluations, the workshop was one of the most successful events organized on this issue. The national asylum policies and examples of best practices were considered, common challenges identified in acceptance of asylum seekers in the local community and the participants have gained new information regarding the EU legislation in the asylum field.