Nenad Ivanisevic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, presented the most up-to-date information from the field. He said that an ever increasing number of people passes through Serbia, adding that yesterday and today alone almost 9,000 people arrived in Presevo. So far, the Ministry has, with the help of the Ministry of Interior, Commissariat for Refugees, Red Cross, UNHCR, UNICEF and other civil sector representatives and NGOs, handled the situation in the best way it could. The situation in the field is worst in Sid, though that has improved somewhat after the Serbian and Croatian ministries of interior signed an agreement on the organised transport of migrants. The meeting in Brussels left Serbia with some unresolved issues such as what the Balkan route was, what its obligations in the coming period were and how long the mentioned 50,000 migrants should be kept in the country considering that Serbia was not their final destination, said Ivanisevic. He reminded the assembly that since the beginning of the crisis to date there have been no incidents between the migrants and the local populace. So far, 300,000 people have passed through Serbia, and the state is ready to offer temporary shelter and assistance to 3,000 migrants in 18 places at any time. He took the opportunity to thank the donors and partners whose financial support made it possible for Serbia to provide the abovementioned with no expenses incurred to its own budget.

In the course of the presentation of the situation in the field and the specific actions undertaken by the state and international and domestic partners, the participants talked about eliminating the flaws perceived during the registration of migrants i.e. distinguishing between asylum-seekers and migrants, the database of registered migrants, care capacities accompanied by the information that the numbers might swell if the western countries begin returning the asylum-seekers and migrants to the countries of origin. They also discussed the rising numbers of unaccompanied child migrants and the social welfare centres’ efforts to receive and house them, welfare fund budgeting and the distribution of humanitarian meals.

The Committee members were informed about the healthcare available to the migrants which provides basic protection to both the migrants and the local populace. Also, the gender structure of the migrants is changing with women and children, sick and elderly now taking the lead. From Afghanistan, whole families with small children which had spent a couple of years in Iran are now coming and pushing toward Europe. The international partners said that they would continue to support the solutions to the migrant crisis saying that all the partners should do their part so as to avoid overlaps.

After the discussion, the Committee Chairperson announced a new sitting with the same topic in a month hoping that the news would be better then.

She also informed the Committee members that the civic petitions and proposals the Committee had received would be discussed in the continuation of the sitting of which they will be duly informed.

The sitting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Deputy Ombudsman, representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees, Rad Cross, UNHCR, UNICEF, NGOs and the civil sector.

In the continuation of the sitting on 17 November, the Committee members reviewed the Report of the Working Group on the civic petitions and proposals the Committee had received. Working Group member Milanka Jevtovic Vukojicic briefed the Committee members on the Report.

Following a short debate, the Committee members unanimously adopted the Report of the Working Group.

Committee Chairperson Vesna Rakonjac announced that at the next sitting the Committee would be reviewing the working plan for the remainder of the year in view of the many requests for public hearings and topical sittings.

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