Today the European Commission has allocated EUR 30 million to Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and other Western Balkans countries for managing borders and irregular migration. This adds to more than EUR 50 million from the EU and 20 million from EU Member States allocated for that purpose to Serbia since September 2015.
The Head of the Delegation of the EU to the Republic of Serbia Ambassador Michael Davenport said: “This substantial additional support underlines the EU’s commitment to supporting the Western Balkans, and in particular Serbia, in managing migration flows in a responsible and humane way.”
The new assistance package will help to further improve border and migration management capabilities in Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It will allow continued support for the border police carrying out border controls in line with European standards and tackling human smuggling. It will also provide further support to the authorities responding to the basic needs of migrants or refugees, such as accommodation, health services and protection, targeting in particular the most vulnerable groups. Support will also be provided to those migrants who wish to voluntarily return to their countries of origin.
