European Commission does not want to finance migrant centre in Velika Kladuša

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The European Commission has refused to finance the establishment of a centre for the accommodation of illegal migrants near Velika Kladuša in Bosnia and Herzegovina, because it considers that location too close to the border with Croatia, i.e. the EU, and there are fears that this could encourage migrants to continue their journey towards western EU countries, said the Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Mektić, after a meeting of the Operational Staff for Migration.

At a press conference, he said that such information came from the EU Delegation in Sarajevo. He believes that the aim is to accommodate migrants within BiH further from the borders so that they do not head towards EU countries.

- Refugee camps will not be built in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are victims of the migrant crisis and are suffering its consequences - said Mektić, adding that the establishment of refugee camps in which migrants would remain "stuck" in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be allowed.

He believes that this would be disastrous for BiH. The accommodation of migrants in Velika Kladuša is not a problem for him, and the BiH authorities have already made a decision to equip a refugee centre in the Ušivak barracks near Sarajevo and in the area of the Una-Sana Canton, i.e. in one of the abandoned facilities of Agrokomerc near Velika Kladuša, precisely with funds from EU funds.

For now, BiH will finance them as much as it can. He confirmed that there is still no common solution at the European level when it comes to the migrant crisis.

Minister Mektić stated that it is estimated that there are currently 3,000 migrants in BiH, and since the beginning of the year, 7,128 have entered the country. Of these, 662 have applied for asylum, based on the readmission agreement with Croatia, 318 migrants have been received, and 575 have been handed over to the countries from which they entered BiH.

The greatest migration pressure is currently in the area of Zvornik on the border with Serbia.