On 3 August 2017, EU Delegation to Serbia representative Head of Operations I Nicolas Bizel officially launched the construction of additional facility, intended for accommodation of migrants and asylum seekers, within the asylum centre in Tutin.
The new building, intended for accommodation of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, will include 60 accommodation places in standard rooms, an infirmary, a playground as well as 12 accommodation places in rooms with accessible toilets. The new building of slightly over 640 square metres of floor space will accommodate up to 250 people. The construction will be completed in 120 days.
Bizel said that the migration crisis had put Serbia under a lot of strain, adding that it nevertheless succeeded in managing migration flows and treating migrants in a responsible and humane manner.
“This is a result of all partners working in concert. I would like to thank the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, the International Organisation for Migration, the Ministry of Labour and the community in Tutin for showing solidarity with migrants when they needed it most,” Bizel said.
The event was attended by Commissioner for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia Vladimir Cucic, Head of Office of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Lidija Markovic, Head of Operations I at the EU Delegation in Serbia Nicolas Bizel and President of the Municipality of Tutin Semsudin Kucevic.
The construction is funded by the European Union with EUR273,500 and implemented by the International Organisation for Migration in partnership with the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia. The initiative will improve conditions in reception and asylum centres for migrants and asylum seekers who have been residing in the territory of the Republic of Serbia for months.
Apart from the construction of the facility in Tutin, the project, whose total value amounts to EUR5.5 million, will ensure further increase of accommodation capacity in other reception centres in line with Serbia’s plan.
The European Union is Serbia’s number one partner when it comes to addressing challenges posed by the migration crisis.
