Commissioner Hahn to Discuss Refugee Crisis in Europe on Serbia Visit

A photo made available on 23 September 2015 shows trucks queuing on the Serbian side of the border with Croatia on the main highway connecting Belgrade and Zagreb at Batrovci, Serbia, 22 September 2015. Photo EPA/BGNES

European Commissioner Johannes Hahn will visit Serbia on Friday to discuss the current refugee crisis in Europe.

Hahn, the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, will meet members of the Serbian government including Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Interior  Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and will visit the Refugee Aid Centre in Sid.

In a statement posted on the website of the European Commission Hahn thanked Serbia for the “competent and resilient management of the refugee crisis.”

“Serbia is ensuring decent living conditions for refugees, in line with international standards. The EU stands by Serbia in this pan-European crisis which can be solved only with a common approach,” Hahn said.

EU leaders agreed at an informal summit in Brussels on Wednesday to extend an additional EUR 17M to Serbia and its southern neighbour Macedonia to help the two non-EU countries cope with the influx of migrants and refugees transiting their territories en route from Greece to western Europe. 

It was the introduction of tougher controls by EU member Hungary at its border with Serbia last week that led to thousands of migrants diverting to Croatia.

This has led to increased tensions between Serbia and EU member Croatia. Serbia has banned Croatian cargo traffic and Croatia in response has banned Serbian-registered vehicles. 

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