Second Roundtable on Asylum in Serbia Held – Strengthening Capacities and a Sustainable Protection System

The Second Roundtable on Asylum in Serbia was held today, organized by UNHCR in partnership with key national and international stakeholders, with the support of the Embassy of Romania in the Republic of Serbia. UNHCR expresses its sincere appreciation to the Embassy of Romania for its valuable contribution to the organization of this event.

The event brought together representatives of relevant state institutions, the judiciary, the diplomatic corps, academia, as well as international and civil society organizations, including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Administrative Court, the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, EUAA, and partner embassies.

The Roundtable was opened by Soufiane Adjali, UNHCR Serbia Representative, Radojka Marinković, President of the Administrative Court, Branislav Stojanović, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Justice, Vladan Radosavljević, Assistant Director of Police, Ministry of Interior, Danijela Nedić, Assistant Commissioner, Commissariat for Refugees and Migration and Dario di Benedetto, Representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, who emphasized the importance of inter-institutional cooperation and continued reform efforts in the area of asylum.

The first thematic session focused on the current state of the asylum system in Serbia, national capacities and key challenges, with contributions from representatives of the Asylum Office, Border Police Directorate, the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, the Administrative Court. Discussions highlighted the importance of strengthening professional capacities, improving procedures and ensuring effective access to rights for persons in need of international protection.

The event also featured the presentation of the White Paper on the Asylum System in the Republic of Serbia, prepared by experts from the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade, offering an in-depth analysis of the legal and institutional framework, key challenges and recommendations for further improvement.

The second panel focused on the sustainability of the asylum system, including issues related to state budgeting, access to free legal aid and alignment with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. A special contribution to the discussion was made by H.E. Silvia Davidoiu, Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Serbia, who presented examples of positive practices from Romania in strengthening institutional capacities and inter-institutional cooperation in the asylum system. Additional practices were shared by Richard Kohli from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and Maria Giglioli, representative of the EU Asylum Agency.

UNHCR underlined that the Second Roundtable on Asylum represents an important step towards strengthening dialogue and cooperation among all relevant actors, in order to further improve the system of protection for refugees and asylum seekers in Serbia, in line with international standards and the principles of the Global Compact on Refugees.