The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe for Migration and Refugees, Drahoslav Štefánek, stated today in an interview with FENA that the Bira reception camp was no longer an option as a possible solution for accommodating migrants.
At the end of his visit to B&H, which began on January 24, Štefánek reminded that the international community on several occasions offered support in money and staff, but it has happened that no agreement could be reached between B&H and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX), which was ready to send its support personnel.
-It seems to me that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the weakest link- said Štefánek.
He added that it is paradox that migrants come to B&H from the European Union, either from Greece or Bulgaria, and then try to enter the EU again.
Štefánek believes that some of them are victims of human trafficking and do not have information that, for example, Croatia is not a member of the Schengen area, and that it would be difficult for them to travel further into the EU.
-B&H should strengthen the security of its border- Štefánek emphasized.
He underlined that the situation regarding the migrant crisis in B&H was better than he expected, especially in the Una-Sana Canton and the Lipa camp, where he was afraid that he would encounter a humanitarian disaster.
-What I saw was not pleasant but it was not a humanitarian crisis. It is possible that the announcement of my visit also contributed to them doing some things faster and I hope that this visit had some result. The situation is much better now than from what I could have concluded from the reports I saw before my arrival- underlined Štefánek.
He said that he would like to see more engagement of local authorities in the future, but that he understands and knows the situation in B&H well from the time when he was the Head of the Council of Europe Office in B&H.
-I am grateful to the IOM, the Red Cross, UNHCR and other international organizations that do a great job here, although it is not easy. We need more contacts with the local community because their requests and complaints should be respected- said Štefánek.
He explained that without the EU funds, it would not be possible to establish camps for migrants, but that we need better coordination and cooperation on the ground between different levels of government in B&H.