4,000 Migrants in, some 1,000 outside Reception Centers

Rados Djurovic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Slightly more than 4,000 migrants currently in Serbia were accommodated in asylum and reception centers, while around 1,000 were outside these facilities, Asylum Protection Center Director Rados Djurovic said on Feb. 8.

Djurovic told BETA that according to the Center’s figures, the largest number of migrants outside temporary reception centers were located primarily around border areas with Hungary, Croatia and Romania.

According to Djurovic, “people have been entering Serbia on a daily basis,” noting that not even “changed weather conditions or the winter have prevented them.” He also said that “according to estimates, between 50 and 100 people have been entering Serbia from North Macedonia on a daily basis, while the inflow is somewhat higher from Bulgaria, which is a new trend.”

Djurovic stressed that “the largest number” of migrants was not staying in Serbia or was intending to do so. “This can be verified with the fact that more than 2,000 people intended to seek asylum last year out of, according to our estimates, more than 50,000 people who have passed through Serbia,” Djurovic said.