Types of accommodation

Author

Nikola Kovačević

Both Asylum Centres and Reception Centres are established by Government decision.[1] The work of Asylum Centres and Reception Centres is managed by the Commissariat.[2]

Persons entering the asylum procedure in Serbia are usually accommodated at one of the 7 asylum centres spread out across the country, but those asylum seekers who can afford to stay at a private residence may do so, should they so desire. These facilities should not be confused with the temporary reception centres that had been set up by the Government throughout 2015 in response to the mass influx of refugees and migrants transiting through Serbia, as they were not foreseen for the housing of persons seeking asylum in Serbia.

One of the issues that remained in 2023 continued to be a lack of profiling and differentiation between those persons with a genuine interest in applying for asylum in Serbia, and those who were in need of a temporary shelter where they would stay before leaving to one of the EU countries. Still, in 2023, most of the registered persons were referred to AC Sjenica or AC Tutin. The problem that remains is the fact that Asylum Office rarely conducts visits to these facilities and close to no asylum hearing is held there. This is one of the reasons why asylum see.

Asylum Centres

There were 6 active Asylum Centres in Serbia in 2022 and one inactive:

Only the Asylum Centre in Banja Koviljača is a permanent centre per se; the other centres are ‘temporary’ locations for the housing of asylum seekers. The overall reception capacity of the Asylum Centres according to the Commissariat is 3,050. However, the capacity of the centres is estimated only by the number of available beds, rather than their overall facilities, including toilets, bathrooms and kitchens. Asylum Centres were not overcrowded during 2022,[3] but it is clear that, to ensure dignified conditions for AC in Krnjača and AC Obrenovac, capacity should be around 40 to 50% less than the official number provided by the CRM. If the centres AC Obrenovac and AC Krnjača had to accommodate 1,000 persons (as their maximum official capacity would allow), there would be significantly negative consequences in terms of overcrowding, lack of privacy and security, deterioration of hygiene and other aspects of life in collective accommodation would arise.

Temporary reception centres

In the second half of 2015, the Government opened 12 temporary receptions centres in order to provide emergency reception conditions for persons who were irregularly entering Serbia and transiting towards their preferred destination countries in the European Union.

These centres are: Preševo, Bujanovac, Pirot, Dimitrovgrad, Bosilegrad, Šid, Principovac, Adaševci, Sombor, Subotica, Kikinda and Bela Palanka (‘Divljana’).

In 2023, the respective capacities of the temporary reception centres were as follows:

[1] Article 51(2) and (3) Asylum Act.

[2] Article 51(4) Asylum Act.

[3] Except during the COVID-19 lockdown.