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SARAJEVO, November 30 (FENA) - The situation with migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the conditions of their accommodation is much better compared to the previous period, but it is still necessary to improve coordination between different levels of government and all institutions involved in this problem, said in an interview with FENA, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees Tomáš Boček.
Interviewer: Hana Imamović
Boček was on a two-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he visited several locations where migrants are accommodated, mostly in the Una-Sana Canton.
This was his second visit to BiH in 2018, and he rated as positive the fact that the majority of migrants in the area of Velika Kladuša and Bihać from the tent settlements were relocated to shelters, especially since the winter period has begun.
He visited Ušivak barracks near Hadžići where he was in July this year and noted that there is progress in that sense because the organization of work in the barracks is good, which is also a positive step forward compared to the situation several months earlier.
However, Boček believes there is always room for improvement of the situation in the country that is dealing with this problem.
He singled out the not so friendly attitude of the local authorities in Velika Kladuša towards migrants, but said that there are good examples as well, the like he had a chance to see in Bihać, but also in the Ušivak barracks where local authorities have positively responded to this challenge.
“It would be good if other levels of government would get more involved, and there is also need for building capacities at the state level with the help of international organizations. But in the long term, the state should be the one to take over the control of this situation," Boček said.
Now that the basic needs of migrants are somewhat satisfied because they have been secured shelters, Boček emphasizes that other things should be organized better, such as caring for children and families, but also to try to ensure certain integration activities for children and adults.
“They will spend some time here, and it is important to integrate them into society, at least for those who will stay, and certainly there will be such persons. It is in the interest of the BiH society, because if those who stay are not integrated into society then there will be problems,” he explained.
Speaking about how the ways migrants spend time, he pointed out that they are actually doing nothing but eating and sleeping which is not good, and he believes that some activities should be provided so that migrants can have some activities and content now that their basic needs have somewhat been satisfied.
He also commented on the fact that most migrants intend to continue their travel to European Union countries, but they are not able to do so due to closed borders, while at the same time the migration influx continues bearing in mind the numbers of migrants arriving in BiH.
But, he recalled that the Council of Europe's competence is to ensure respect for human rights and respect for the law, which is why their role is to assist the authorities of the Council of Europe member states, as BiH is one of them, and announced that after his visit, he will submit a report on the situation in BiH with concrete recommendations.
“Recommendations will refer to concrete measures to help BiH and its authorities deal with the current situation. I will suggest the introduction of a system of guardianship or the system of information availability, but also an opportunity to take advantage of the capacities of professionals working with migrants and refugee children," he said.
Boček noted that everyone is aware of the complexity of the situation in the region and especially in BiH, where the complex government structure is divided onto several levels, but expressed belief that there is room for improvement and concluded that the Council of Europe would continue to help and assist, and try to be part of the solution.
In 2018, more than 20,000 refugees and migrants entered Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is 25 times more than in 2017.
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(FENA) S. R.
