The European Union will provide an additional €6 million in humanitarian aid to assist Serbia in addressing migration challenges. The allocation of these funds has been agreed by Commissioner Stylianides and Minister Vulin during a recent meeting in Brussels.
These funds will provide for urgent rehabilitation and winterisation of reception centres, health care, food and non-food items and protection. The funds originate from the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) of the European Commission.
The Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Michael Davenport, stated: “This additional EU funding comes in response to needs identified by the Serbian government. It will help Serbia to provide badly needed shelter, food and health care to refugees and migrants during the coming winter. The EU and its Member States will continue supporting Serbia in coping with migration challenges.”
Since September 2015, the EU has allocated EUR 46 million to support Serbia in managing flows of refugees and migrants. This non-refundable assistance is mostly provided via our partners, including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy, the Serbian Commissariat for Refugees and Migrants, the Serbian Red Cross, and partners such as UNHCR, IOM, UNICEF, as well as international and local NGOs.
The 20-21 October meeting of the European Council concluded that a lasting stabilisation on the eastern Mediterranean route requires continued support for countries along the Western Balkan route.