New edition of AIDA report on the asylum system in Serbia

In February 2017, the Asylum Information Database (AIDA) published the new edition of the report on the asylum system and integration of refugees in Serbia, created by the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights. The report contains the newest statistical data on the asylum procedure in Serbia, on the relevant legal framework, as well as on the access to and implementation of the asylum procedure. In addition, it describes the conditions in reception and asylum centres, and presents the problems that have arisen regarding the integration of individuals that have been awarded international protection in Serbia.

The report elaborates on some of the biggest problems in the asylum system as pointed out by various international and nongovernmental organizations in Serbia, including the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights. One such problem concerns the Asylum Office and the Asylum Commission, as the primary and secondary organs within the asylum procedure. It constitutes the safe third country principle on the basis of which asylum claims have been rejected that were submitted by applicants who entered Serbia from Bulgaria and Macedonia, which were put on the list of safe third countries following a decision by the Serbian government in 2009. In 2016, the Asylum Office rejected 53 asylum claims concerning 65 asylum seekers, which constitutes over half of all proceedings on which the Asylum Office ruled.

One of the biggest challenges Serbia faced in 2016 was providing accommodation and basic living conditions for an increased number of people in need of international protection who are remaining in the country for longer periods than in previous years. By the end of 2016 there were 7000 migrants in Serbia, of which 82% were accommodated in reception centres, awaiting their turn to submit asylum claims in Hungary to cross the border legally. The rest resided in deserted domiciles near the main bus station in Belgrade and other informal gathering places near the Hungarian border.

The complete report in English is available at this link.