THE LARGEST NUMBER OF SERBIAN NATIONALS SEEK ASYLUM IN GERMANY

23. March 2015.

Belgrade - The citizens of Serbia usually seek asylum in Germany. On the other hand, since the beginning of the year, 6,500 persons expressed the intention of seeking asylum in Serbia, said Jelena Vasiljevic, the Assistant Head of the Border Police Directorate.

Ms. Vasiljevic said that, according to the 2014 data, around 16, 000 Serbian nationals applied for asylum in the territory of Germany, around 1, 500 of them in the territory of Sweden and about a hundred in the territory of Belgium and Switzerland.

Asylum is primarily sought by economic migrants, mostly in Germany, because social benefits are still the largest there, while asylum is most frequently sought by people from South Serbia, by those from the territory of Bujanovac, Presevo, Vranje and Leskovac , said Ms. Vasiljevic.

Ms. Vasiljevic explained that since the beginning of the year, 6. 500 individuals expressed the intention of seeking asylum in Serbia, adding that those people stayed in the territory of Serbia for a short time, after which they continued their journey to the EU countries.

When asked how much the number of illegal migrants from Kosovo and Metohija was reduced, Ms. Vasiljevic replied that the “peak” was in February, when around 1,000 persons were registered, while from the beginning of March only around 30 people that tried to cross the Serbian-Hungarian border illegally were recorded.

Source: “Tanjug” news agency and Coordination Body