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European Commissioner Ylva Johansson visited RC Obrenovac

During her two-day visit to Serbia, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Ms. Ylva Johansson, visited the Reception Center in Obrenovac, recently renovated with EU financial support. Accompanied by EU Ambassador to Serbia Sam Fabrizzi, Commissioner for Refugees and Migration Vladimir Cucić, State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Bojan Jocić, Assistant Minister of Finance Marko Jovanović and member of the Obrenovac Municipal Council Dragan Mladenović, the Commissioner visited accommodation and food facilities within the center and interviewed several beneficiaries of this center.

As part of the European Union's support for migration management in Serbia, four accommodation buildings, a kitchen, two heating substations, as well as a control room and infrastructure were reconstructed in the former military barracks "Bora Marković" in the municipality of Obrenovac. Furthermore, the center and its facilities (communal area, educational center, library, kitchen, dining room) are adequately equipped in accordance with European standards.

"It is important to show in action how EU support works in Serbia. It is important to build a long-lasting and orderly migration management system. No country can do it alone. Not only within the EU, but we must do it together with our partners from the region. Cooperation is crucial. Migrations are not a new phenomenon, they have always existed and will never stop. That is why we are here to strengthen cooperation - border control, prevention of smuggling, migration management, as well as other areas of the rule of law. Migrants bring a new energy. Like all people they have their hopes and their dreams. We are all human beings who have our dignity.

Illegal entry should be reduced, and legal ways of entering the European Union should be improved. Every year, 3 million migrants come to the EU, while one and a half million people leave the EU. The European Union is growing thanks to migration. That is why they need to be legal and regulated. I am glad to be in Obrenovac today, because Serbia has proven to be one of the reliable partners in this process, "said Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs.

The host of the meeting was Mr. Vladimir Cucić, Commissioner for Refugees and Migration of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. "We have made some promises and I think we have fulfilled them. I think it is time to further develop the whole system. It is time to prepare not only us, but the entire region, in a structural and valid way to successfully and orderly manage migration ", said Cucić.

On behalf of the CFCU and the Ministry of Finance, the project was managed by the Assistant Minister, Mr. Marko Jovanović. "The presence of migrants and refugees requires a constant care for that population, so in a broader sense, projects like this are crucial for their care. The value of the implemented project is 3.2 million euros, of which the contribution of the Republic of Serbia is 230,000 euros. What preceded the successful implementation of this project in the area of ​​competence of the Sector for Contracting and Financing of EU Funds is the preparation of documentation for public procurement, then evaluation and contracting, contracting of four contracts, namely: design service contract, works contract, service contract supervision and contract for procurement of equipment / furniture. Through this project and the support of the European Union, the accommodation capacities for asylum seekers have been reconstructed and the kitchen has been fully equipped. The importance of the pre-accession assistance of the European Union and its results are evident in many areas, and projects like this best reflect the importance of that assistance and the impact on the quality of life of the most endangered persons, "said Jovanovic.