EU Message: Desperate Situation, Open Bira Immediately

(Patria) - European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs Ylva Johansson commented on the latest developments regarding the migrant crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Regarding the desperate situation of over 900 migrants in the Lipa camp, facing another night in the snow, I had a clear and unambiguous conversation with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Zoran Tegeltija."

"We agreed that reopening the Bira center is clearly the best solution. Immediately!" said the European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson.

The Council of Ministers of BiH, at an extraordinary telephone session, considered the current migrant crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the aim of finding urgent solutions for the accommodation of migrants currently located at the "Lipa" site and adopted an appropriate conclusion.

As the former "Bira" factory site in Bihać was designated as a temporary reception center for accommodating migrants by the Decision of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina No. 46/19 of March 11, 2019 ("Official Gazette of BiH", No. 28/19), the Council of Ministers of BiH explicitly calls on the authorities of the Una-Sana Canton and the City of Bihać to respect the aforementioned valid decision and to accept and accommodate migrants at the "Bira" site without delay.

A meeting of the Operational Group for coordinating activities and monitoring the migrant crisis in the Una-Sana Canton was held in Bihać.

It was stated that the Ministry of Security has no way out of the situation created by the closure of the Lipa camp – they called on all domestic and foreign humanitarian organizations to get involved in providing assistance to migrants in the form of food, medicine, hygiene supplies, and clothing in coordination with the Red Cross of USK.

They condemned the actions of IOM, which, as they stated, left 1,400 migrants without accommodation conditions, and especially condemned the act of dismantling tents in Lipa.

They requested that the Cantonal Civil Protection Administration of USK make available the material-technical means and resources at their disposal for receiving assistance for the stay of migrants at the Lipa center site.

They are asking the Council of Ministers to urgently find a new location outside the territory of the Una-Sana Canton, and they proposed doing so at the Salakovac and Delijaš asylum camps for 90 days, while the works at Lipa are ongoing.

They also request that the legality of the decision of the Council of Ministers of BiH regarding the declaration of temporary reception centers in the Una-Sana Canton be reviewed.

Furthermore, they request the deportation of all migrants whose residence permits in Bosnia and Herzegovina have expired.