Commissariat for Refugees and Migration awaits International Migrants day, 18 December, with more than 5,500 migrants accommodated in permanent and reception-transit centers. More than 900,000 migrants have passed through our country since the beginning of the migrant crisis, in the mid of last year.

Today, as well as many times before, we express concern that the migrant crisis is far from over, migrant route is only conditionally closed, and it seems that Europe is even further from a unified response than at the beginning of the crisis.

And after 580 days from the beginning of migrant crisis, Serbia is making a great effort to take care of migrants while they are accommodated in our territory, in the same time taking into account security aspects and interests of its citizens. We are expecting the next year with a great concern, because the provided funds are insufficient to cover the basic needs of migrants, but we hope that the international community will understand and support Serbia in its efforts to provide migrants with everything they are entitled to in accordance with international standards.

Commissariat for Refugees and Migration recalls that migrants who are accommodated in our territory don’t have any intention to stay here, which further complicates the situation, especially having in mind that the EU borders are closed for them.

Serbia has fulfilled its mission and demonstrated a high level of responsibility and humanity. All migrants who have passed through our territory have immediately been taken care of. Migrants who are currently residing have accommodation and all that they are entitled in accordance with standards. Great number of illegal entries has been prevented, and trafficking in human beings is successfully suppressed. We will continue in this manner.

Republic of Serbia has a distinctly defined policy and cannot allow to be a passive observer of increase in the number of migrants due to inability to continue their path to the European Union. Serbia will have an active role in resolving this issue, and insists to be a part of a unified European solution, especially when it comes to the readmission of migrants to countries of origin.

On this occasion we would like to thank for the support of the EU and bilateral donors primarily, implement partners, non-governmental sector, as well as those who have recognized the need and helped the most affected communities by migration crisis.

On International Migrants day, we would like to remind that the Republic of Serbia is still taking care of a great number of refugees from former Yugoslavian republics, internally displaced persons, returnees under readmission agreements and other vulnerable migrants.

Falling apart of the former Yugoslavia and the conflicts in the nineties led to the fact that 800,000 refugees from the former republics and internally displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija seeked shelter in Serbia. Now there are 203,140 internally displaced persons registered in Serbia. The total number of persons with refugee status is 29,457 (20,334 from Croatia and 9,080 from Bosnia and Hercegovina).