The EU-funded project worth over EUR14 million, aimed at improving the living conditions of refugees, internally displaced persons, and returnees under the agreement on readmission is officially being launched. Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said that since the year 2003 the EU has granted EUR60 million for the housing of refugees. Together with Serbian officials, he visited the collective centre in Pančevo, followed by his visit to the site of future building for housing of forced migrants, whose construction is financed from IPA funds 2012.
Having visited the last collective centre and the building for social housing of refugees and internally displaced persons in Pančevo, the Ambassador Davenport said that this marks a new phase of the project, whose concrete result should be the closure of remaining collective centres in Serbia.
Following the ceremony of signing the memorandum of understanding related to the realisation of “Improving the Living Conditions of Forced Migrants in Pančevo” project, Davenport said that this project would not mark either the beginning or the end of the initiative aimed at providing durable solutions for housing of refugees, internally displaced, and returnees.
“This is a huge challenge for all of us, given the efforts we have to make, but through a hard team work I believe we will achieve the desirable results, such as poverty reduction, better social inclusion, improvement of living standards and higher economic independence of forced migrants,” Davenport said.
Since the year 2003 the EU has granted EUR60 million for the housing of refugees, he added.
Serbia’s Commissioner for Refugees Vladimir Cucić said that the collective centre in Pančevo is the only one remaining in Vojvodina out of a total of 200 collective centres. Central Serbia counts with 14 collective centres, while there are nine in Kosovo[1].
EUR10,6 million of non-repayable aid is allocated for the implementation of the first phase that envisages the finding of long-term solution for social housing for approximately 2,000 collective centre beneficiaries, who are temporarily accommodated in collective centres in Pančevo, Šabac, Kragujevac, Rača, Kladovo, Bela Palanka, Bujanovac, Vranje and Belgrade.
The project also envisages the sustainable return and aid to the internally displaced persons wishing to return to Kosovo. EUR2,4 million is allocated for the return of 200 families.
An additional EUR1,2 million of non-repayable aid is allocated for providing the adequate living conditions and social integration to some 450 refugees, internally displaced persons, and returnees. The municipalities in charge with implementation of this part of the project are Arilje, Batočina, Bojnik, Kula, Ruma, Sombor, Topola, Vranje and Vrbas.
PROJECT FACT SHEET
European Union Support for Improving the Living Conditions of Forced Migrants in Serbia is a project financed by the European Union and managed by the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia. It aims at providing adequate living conditions to forced migrants who choose to stay in Serbia while supporting the sustainable return of those wishing to return to Kosovo[1]
The Commissariat for Refugees and Migrations of the Republic of Serbia and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija closely monitor and supervise the overall project implementation. A project Steering Committee oversees the adequate project implementation and the achievement of expected results. Members of the Steering Committee are representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, the Commissariat for Refugees and Migrations of the Republic of Serbia, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, the European Integration Office at the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Central Finance and Contracts Unit at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia and of the Contractor.
Final beneficiaries of this project are:
- Refugees – persons granted refugee status according to the Law on Refugees (persons that fled to Serbia from ex-Yugoslav republics during 1990s armed conflicts);
- IDPs – internally displaced persons from Kosovo, both in the process of return and integration;
- Returnees – persons returned to the Republic of Serbia according to the Readmission Agreement in the process of reintegration
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project is a part of continuum initiatives seeking to find durable solutions for refugees, IDPs and returnees under the Readmission Agreement. As such, it is coherent with the government policies on refugees, IDPs and returnees and fully reflects their core principle – support integration of forced migrants who chose to stay in Serbia and support the sustainable return of those wishing to return to Kosovo. However, although the project is neither conceived, nor designed to be beginning and end of initiatives for providing long-lasting solutions for forced migrants, it will be end initiative in one regard – the closure of the collective centres as the residential facilities accommodating refugees and IDPs.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND RESULTS
- To support the closure of all remaining collective centres(CCs) and improvement of the living conditions of additional 450 refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees under the Readmission Agreement. The activities intended to support the closure of remaining CCs will be carried out by different national and international organisations. This should lead to the provision of adequate housing solutions and other support to forced migrants accommodated in the CCs.
- To support the sustainable return to Kosovo of 200 IDPs families, upon their wish. The achievement of this objective will contribute to enabling a sustainable return to persons who are considering a return to their home of origin, which is guaranteed by numerous human right instruments. Awarded grantees are responsible for supporting returnees’ relocation, administrative issues, provision of grants for starting up a small business or agriculture-oriented income generation and assistance kits to returnees as well as for planning and implementation of outreach campaign.
- Implementation of activities foreseen in the LAPs of target municipalities.The awarded municipalities shall provide to IDPs and returnees under the Readmission Agreement housing solutions, such as: delivery of building material packages and supply, installment of prefabricated houses. The returnees will receive also support for improving their economic self-reliance, social inclusion and qualification. Professional social workers, lecturers and psychologists provide the support.
PROJECT IMPACT
One of the most important and difficult problems faced in managing migrations in Serbia in a proper manner is resolving problems of a huge number of refugees, IDPs and returnees. This project will directly respond to the housing and employment needs of this marginalised group.
Positive impact for this group over the longer-term will be evidenced through:
- Poverty reduction among the targeted population;
- Improvement of social inclusion of marginalised groups;
- Housing solutions for refugees, IDPs and returnees provided;
- Improved quality of life of targeted population;
- Economic self-reliance of the targeted group will be strengthened;
- Integration or return of refugees encouraged by local and national institutions.
The project will have an impact on the wider domestic population and the local community in terms of the provision of a better quality of life. Positive impacts on the budget (through decreased claims for family income support, one-off assistance in cash, etc.) are expected. Generally, the project will contribute to the better exercising of guarantied basic human rights. Development of self-employment programmes for forced migrants will encourage development of similar programmes at the local level intended for the domestic population.
| PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
Project has three main LOT’s divided per specific priorities foreseen: The project LOT 1: Provision of housing solutions for approximately 2,000 beneficiaries of Collective Centres in the municipalities of Pančevo, Šabac, Kragujevac, Rača, Kladovo, Bela Palanka, Bujanovac, Vranje, Beograd;
The project LOT 2: Sustainable return encouragement and facilitation, planning and implementing an outreach campaign, as well as supporting returnees’ relocation, administrative issues and delivering of assistance kits to returnees, thus supporting the return of 200 IDP families to Kosovo, upon their wish;
The project LOT 3: Creation of the conditions for integration of refugees, improvement of the living conditions of IDPs while they are in displacement, and reintegration of returnees (app. 450 IDPs, refugees and returnees)
EU Contribution for all three LOTs: 14.2 M EUR The number of the actions awarded is 15 in total (four under Lot 1, two under Lot 2, and nine under Lot 3), all of them with a duration between 12 and 24 months. |
A consortium of EPTISA Servicios de Ingenieria S.L. (ES) and CARE Deutschland-Luxemburg (DE) provides technical support in monitoring the implementation of supported actions..
More information about the project can be found at the official project website: www.zaboljizivot.rs
[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
