The European Commission has today approved additional assistance to the tune of EUR7.3 million for the Serbian Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration and the Ministry of Interior. The assistance comes in the form of direct budgetary support. The funds will be used to secure adequate accommodation for refugees and migrants, finance operational costs of reception and transit centres and centres for unattended minors in Serbia, as well as for salaries of additional staff to be hired at those centres.
Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Ambassador Michael Davenport thanked Serbian authorities for tackling the migrants crisis in a humane and responsible manner, in close cooperation with the EU and its Member States. He stressed that the cooperation would become even more important in 2017 and that the European Union would continue to support the Government and local communities.
The support is part of the EU financial package worth EUR12 million aimed at assisting Serbia in addressing the migration challenge in 2017. Since the outbreak of crisis, EU financial assistance for Serbia in this area has amounted to more than EUR50 million.
