Thursday, 1 October 2015

27th Sitting of the Committee on Labour, Social Issues, Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction

At the sitting held on 1 October, the Committee on Labour, Social Issues, Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction discussed the current situation regarding asylum-seekers’ welfare.


Committee Chairperson Dr Vesna Rakonjac said that the asylum-seekers should be provided with adequate living conditions, migrants and refugees in Serbia need to be given all necessary assistance, and in order to achieve this, donors need to be in constant contact with the relevant ministries, Red Cross and civil society organisations.

Nenad Ivanisevic, State Secretary for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, said that the Government of the Republic of Serbia had set up a Task Group in charge of migrant affairs, one of whose first activities was establishing the One Stop Centre in Presevo. He said that the numbers of migrants coming through Bulgaria are growing and the One Stop Centre in Presevo has so far registered 160,000 people. Ivanisevic stressed that Serbia does not organise transport for migrants through Serbia. After registering in Presevo the migrants are issued a 72-hour free movement permit. He said that today Brussels is hosting a preparatory meeting for the meeting scheduled to take place in Luxembourg, which is expected to result in a unified European response to the migrant crisis.

Deputy Ombudsman Milos Jankovic opined that the migrants and refugees have been given a degree of humanitarian aid, and added that the Republic of Serbia was characterised by relevant international organisations as a state that respects human rights. He stressed that the coming winter calls for intense preparations.

Red Cross Secretary General Vesna Milenkovic said that between 10 June and 29 September more than 90,000 people had received humanitarian aid and added that the organisation is working hard to maintain the continuity of the aid, especially in view of the fact that winter is coming.

Davor Rako of UNHCR said that the organisation is coordinating with Red Cross, relevant ministries and civil society organisations on the assistance efforts to migrants and refugees in Serbia, stressing that UNHCR would continue to offer support to Serbia in the coming period.

Michel Saint-Lot, UNICEF Serbia representatives, said that he commended Serbia’s treatment of the migrant crisis at yesterday’s meeting in New York. He said that since June, one in four migrants is a child, a number that keeps growing. Saint-Lot said that children unaccompanied by adults are usually part of a bigger group, and added that the collection of data on how many unaccompanied children enter Serbia needs to be improved. Michel Saint-Lot said that information on the age structure of the children migrants is also very important in view of their varying dietary needs.

Nikola Kovacevic of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights said that the law needs to recognise migrants or refugees who do not seek asylum, and that amendments to the law should secure longer legal stays in Serbia for these people.

Ivana Vukasevic of the Humanitarian Centre for Integration and Tolerance said that, in cooperation with other organisations, the Centre has been distributing food, water, hygiene and baby packs and working on strengthening local institutions.

The Committee members then went on to discuss, in principle, and unanimously accept the Bill on Requirements for Sending Employees to Temporary Work Abroad and their Protection, elaborated by Zoran Lazic, Assistant Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs.

The Committee members also discussed the Bill amending and modifying the Law on Safety and Health in the Workplace, elaborated by Vera Bozic Trefalt, Head of the Directorate for Occupational Safety and Health. The Committee accepted the Bill by majority vote.

The sitting was chaired by Dr Vesna Rakonjac, Committee Chairperson.


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friday, 29 march
  • 9.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

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