Highlights
The number of average daily refugee arrivals fell from close to 8,000 two months ago and some 3,000 a month ago to below 1,850.
The number of arrivals into Serbia from Bulgaria further decreased, with an average of 63 asylumseekers arriving daily across the entire stretch of this border. Around 250 asylum-seekers were assisted in Belgrade on average each day.
As a result of the practice of screening out of asylum-seekers, small numbers of migrants gathered at Šid refugee aid point and other sites. Authorities, UNHCR and partners counselled them on the possibility to seek asylum in Serbia. As a result, the numbers of registered intentions to apply for asylum in Serbia increased.
UPDATE ON ACHIEVEMENTS
Operational Context
The weather remained very cold with snow and daily temperatures dropping to -8 degrees Celsius. Distribution of winter items for adults and children (especially jackets and boots, blankets, hats, gloves and scarves) remained intense and refugee aid points across the country were almost fully winterized.
Refugees and migrants continued having to walk 2.5 km on the dirt road (green border) from the fYR Macedonia to Serbia in freezing weather conditions and the practice of denying entry to refugees and migrantsfrom countries other than Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq continued. A new limit of maximum 800 asylum-seekers per train departing from Šid to Slavonski brod was introduced by the Croatian police. As of 8 January, asylum-seekers are only allowed to purchase train tickets for the direct train from Preševo to Šid, rather than taking the route via Belgrade.
On 15 January, the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Mr. Christos Stylianides visited Belgrade and Šid. Following his meetings with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, Minister of Labour Aleksandar Vulin and Refugee Commissioner Vladimir Cucić, Mr. Stylianides visited Adaševci and Šid. He praised Serbia’s response to the refugee crisis. Serbia’s Prime Minister expressed hope that a harmonised European policy and approach to the refugee issue would soon be developed, and Serbia’s readiness to implement such policy.