Foundation stone for the construction of 30 apartments for refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia was laid today in Sremska Mitrovica, under the fifth subproject of the Regional Housing Programme in the Republic of Serbia (RHP).

The funds for the construction of the 30 apartments were provided partly from the Donor Fund of the Regional Housing Programme, managed by the Bank for Development of the Council of Europe, and partly from the budget of the City of Sremska Mitrovica. RHP fund donated close to 669,000 euros, while the City’s contribution to land and supporting infrastructure amounted to 15,1 million dinars. The construction of apartments begins at Marcilijeva bb, Marko Peričin Kamenjar. The contractor is "GRADING" d.o.o. Paracin. The deadline for the completion of the construction is the end of the year.

The ceremony was attended by Ivica Dacic, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Commission for Coordination of the Process of Permanent Integration of Refugees of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Vladimir Sanader, Mayor of Sremska Mitrovica, Vladimir Cucic, Commissioner for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia, Ingve Engstrom, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Hans F. Schodder, Representative of the UNHCR in Serbia, John Clayton, Head of the Democratization Department of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Palmir Tot, Provincial Deputy Secretary for Social Policy, Demograpshy and Gender Equality, Dragan Katuca, Director of Project Implementation Unit in Public Sector, representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Serbia, represeantaives of partner countries and other officials.

"Through the Regional Housing Programme, 2,853 families have so far been granted a roof over the head, and more than 7,000 families will be provided with permanent housing solutions by the end of the Programme. I thank the users for their patience and the partners for their support. I expect that we will quickly gather in this place again at the key awarding ceremony, " said Commissioner Cucić.

"Solving the refugee issue is a lengthy and complex process, but, as we see here today, a process in which solutions are possible and achievable for all our compatriots who were forced to leave their homes throughout the former Yugoslavia at the end of the last century. For this reason, the Serbian government with other partners remains strongly committed and engaged in the implementation of the Regional Housing Programme, "said Minister Ivica Dačić.

Regional Housing Programme (RHP) was set up to provide durable housing solutions to vulnerable refugees and displaced persons following the 1991-1995 conflicts on the territory of former Yugoslavia. The RHP is implemented by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia and mostly financed by the international donor community. The main donor is the European Union. The other donors are the United States of America, Germany, Norway, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Turkey, Luxembourg, Spain, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and the Slovak Republic.