The European Union continues providing support for the improvement of the living condition of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and returnees from readmission process in Serbia. 13 new grant projects are going to be implemented by the Serbian local authorities and international and national civil society organizations. These projects will be implemented and monitored under the project EU support for the sustainable solutions for internally displaced persons and returnees funded by the EU.
The first Implementation Session for the grant beneficiaries was held on the 5thof September 2018 in the EU Information Centre (EUIC) in Belgrade and it was attended by the representatives of the project beneficiary Institutions, i.e. The Commissariat for Refugees and Migrations (KIRS), The Office for Kosovo and Metohija (OKM), and by the representatives of the EU Delegation, the representatives of the grant beneficiaries and implementing partners.
Aim of the event was to introduce the project, its objectives and mechanisms, to stakeholder institutions, and to present the role of the Project Monitoring Unit, with special attention to general and specific rules and requirements for the operation of the grant projects over the next two years.
The new grant projects shall support the IDPs and the returnees to achieve successful (re)integration, through housing support and complementary social assistance and employment measures. In particular, the target communities within the following localities will benefit from the grants – Krusevac, Arandjelovac, Ub, Cicevac, Kragujevac, Cacak, GornjiMilanovac, Bujanovac, Prijepolje, Tutin, Vladicin Han, Vranje, Kusrumlija, Vrnjacka Banja, Smederevo, Smederevska Palanka, Velika Plana, Kovin, Novi Pazar, Belgrade, Nova Crnja, Nis, Aleksinac, Krusevac, Kraljevo, Vladicin Han, Surdulica, Bosilegrad, Trgoviste, Bujanovac and Presevo.
The EU donation to the grant projects amount to 5.650.000 EUR, while the Serbian national budget co-funds with 150.000 EUR. The Project is implemented by a consortium led by KMOP with the overall objective to assist the EUD, and beneficiary institutions KIRS and OKM in the implementation and monitoring of the grant project activities. The project will last until June 2020.
Serbia continues to host large number of refugees and IDPs in need of durable solutions. As of 1 July 2017, there were 201,047 internally displaced persons in Serbia, of which one third remains in a vulnerable position. Roma IDPs remain in most disadvantaged positions. The obstacles to sustainable return in Kosovo* remain numbered and diverse. Alike, many returnees through readmission remain unable to adapt quickly and integrate effectively into Serbian society.
Since 2001, the European Union has donated more than EUR 74 million to support economic independence, decent housing and legal rights of refugees, IDPs and returnees in Serbia. Facilitation of return to Kosovo* for the IDPs willing to return has been supported, as well as housing solutions and complementary social measures for the reintegration post displacement. These funds provided for significant changes in the quality of life for this population.
EU support for the sustainable solutions for internally displaced persons and returnees is part of EU support and will continue with this stream of actions and provide tangible support to the readmission returnees and IDPs in the country.
