EU to mobilize $2.8M aid for migrants without shelter in Bosnia

BRUSSELS

The EU will mobilize an additional €2.5 million ($2.8 million) to support refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Commission announced on Friday.

The humanitarian aid will be provided to support vulnerable migrants and refugees who are not accommodated by EU-funded facilities and “are exposed to increasingly cold temperatures with winter approaching,” the commission said in a press statement.

The support will also be channeled to child protection with a special focus on unaccompanied minors and medical needs.

According to the EU’s estimates, approximately 4,000 migrants are stranded in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and around a quarter of them sleep outside the camps, without proper shelter, food, or access to sanitary facilities and healthcare.

“To address these needs, the EU stands ready to continue providing humanitarian assistance. The dignity and safety of all persons, especially the most vulnerable, need to be ensured and protected at all times,” said EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic.

Since 2018, the EU has sent a total of €17.3 million in humanitarian aid for Bosnia Herzegovina to host asylum seekers. The newly announced fund will increase this support to €19.6 million in total.

The bloc urged the Bosnian government several times over the past years to provide at least minimum humanitarian standards for migrants.

The majority of the migrants in Bosnia Herzegovina would prefer to seek international protection in the EU but they cannot enter the bloc’s territory.