The European Union supports Serbia in migration management

Migration management was one of the main topics of the visit of European diplomats to Vranje, Presevo and Bujanovac on Friday, December 10, 2021.

Head of European Union Delegation (EU) to Serbia, Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret, together with the Ambassador of Belgium, Koen Adam, Ambassador of Austria, Nikolaus Lutterotti, Ambassador of Portugal, Virginia Mendez da Silva Pina, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Slovakia, Monika Podsklanová Šuhajdová and Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Hungary, Zsolt István Nemeti, visited the Vranje Asylum Center and the Presevo Reception Center.

During his visit to the Reception centre in Presevo, Ambassador Giaufret pointed out the humanitarian approach to migration that Serbia has taken by providing all migrants with food, health services and education, regardless of their legal status.

“Today, we also visited the works in the Vranje asylum centre, and we are here in the Reception Centre in Presevo because we want to emphasize the importance we attach to cooperation with Serbia on migration and refugee issue. We highly appreciate humane way in which Serbia approached the treatment of migrants and refugees, providing them with basic living conditions. The EU has provided 130 million euros so far, and we will continue to support it, because this is an issue that requires the engagement of everyone. On the International Human Rights Day, I would like to emphasize the importance of the rule of law, democracy, and protection of rights of every individual. “Also, Serbia has worked hard to harmonize its migration policy, asylum system and legal framework with the EU acquis, and in a very short time it has done what could otherwise have taken much longer,” said Ambassador Giaufret, emphasizing good cooperation between the EU and Serbia in migration management. “Member countries are involved as partners of Serbia in border control, where together we protect the borders in the fight against smuggling and human trafficking,” concluded Giaufret.

As stated during the visit, the support of the European Union to Serbia in migration management has amounted to about 130 million euros since 2015, and the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration is an important partner when it comes to the implementation of projects in this area.

“We are glad that our EU partners have recognised our responsible approach and we hope that we will continue to work together to meet a major challenge such as migration management,” said Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, Vladimir Cucic.

The delegation also visited the works on the Vranje Asylum Centre, which is financed by the European Union.