A group of Belgrade journalists, as well as representatives of local media in Subotica, visited  the Reception Center in Subotica and the Transit Zone at the Kelebia crossing. They received first hand information about the accommodation conditions in the Center managed by the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia and the procedures and frequency of legal crossings of migrants at the Hungarian border.

After visiting the center and talking with migrants about their hopes and plans for the future, a meeting was held with the representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, during which the overall situation with migrants in the Republic of Serbia, where currently in 18 reception and asylum centers more than 3,100 migrants are accomodated was presented.

A presentation on the ways in which the Government of Switzerland, as well as the European Union provide support to the institutions of the Republic of Serbia in migration management was also organized. The EU is the largest donor of the Republic of Serbia in migration management. Since the increased inflow of migrants into the territory of the Republic of Serbia in 2015, The EU has donated more than € 98 million for humanitarian aid and the protection of migrants, in particular for child protection, reception and accommodation facilities in the centers, including food, health care and education, assistance to local communities where migrants are located, for strengthening social cohesion, assistance to the Republic of Serbia in border management and for combating human trafficking, as well as assistance for capacity building of the institutions of the Republic of Serbia involved in migration management.

Moreover, The Republic of Serbia and Switzerland have established Migration Partnership in 2009. Since then, Switzerland has been supporting projects with the aim to strengthen capacities of the Republic of Serbia in order to strengthen and develop efficient migration management system and strengthen mutual cooperation.

This meeting of media representatives in Subotica was organized within the project "Support to Migration Management in Serbia" financed by the Government of Switzerland and implemented by the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration and the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia. The aim of the project is to strengthen the migration management system in the Republic of Serbia in accordance with international standards and EU acqui, with a special focus on cooperation mechanisms and capacity building at the local level to ensure the protection of migrants’ rights.