Source: APC
Photo: APC

Subotica, March 28, 2025 – Overview of the situation at Serbia’s northern borders with the EU since the beginning of 2025.

-Accommodation and Reception Only in Southern Camps – Preševo, Bujanovac, and Sjenica are the only locations where accommodation and reception are provided; there is no reception in the north. Refugees mostly reach these southern camps through relocations following pushbacks or arrests during their movement toward the northern border. Smugglers use private homes in Belgrade for temporary accommodation, which results in many refugees remaining “invisible” and unregistered in official statistics. In the north, refugees are still not visible during the day or in public spaces, as they move only at night, arriving at locations from which they attempt to cross the border with the help of smugglers and criminal groups.

-Increased Entries from North Macedonia Compared to Late 2024, while daily entries from Bulgaria and from Albania via Kosovo continue. Regarding smuggling after entering Serbia, some refugees report traveling first to Belgrade or Obrenovac, where they spend a night or two before being transported to the Hungarian border. Others report being taken directly from the Bulgarian or Macedonian border to the Hungarian border by smugglers, typically in cars. Smuggling fees from Turkey to Serbia range between €3,500 and €4,000, while the full package from Turkey to Germany can cost up to €8,000.

-Smuggling Route Toward Hungary Remains Intense – Most refugees attempt to cross from Serbia into Hungary. Besides crossing in truck trailers, vans, and cars, they also pass through cut sections of the border fence, where smugglers create temporary passageways. A cut-through crossing alone costs €1,500, outside of any package deal. Smugglers operate along the entire green border, from Subotica to Martonoš, frequently changing the transit points where they gather small groups of refugees (6–10 people) for border crossings.

-Significant Increase in Reports of Multiple and Violent Pushbacks (PB) from Hungary in February. Some individuals reported experiencing up to four PBs within a month. Hungary continues daily pushbacks into Serbia. While in 2024 refugees less frequently reported violence by Hungarian police, since the beginning of 2025, dozens—including women—have reported physical violence before being forced back into Serbia. These operations involve joint patrols by Serbian and Frontex police. Reported violence includes baton blows to the stomach, back, and arms, with occasional destruction or confiscation of phones and chargers. Most violence is reported by refugees from Syria and Afghanistan, but also from Morocco, Pakistan, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, and Turkey.

In the second half of February, Hungary, in cooperation with Serbian police and Frontex, pushed back and prevented the entry of at least 59 refugees per day (over 821 people in total). However, in the first two weeks of March, the number decreased to 467 people.

-Obrenovac – Still a transit point from where smugglers direct refugees toward Hungary or Bosnia and Herzegovina, although in smaller numbers than last year. Refugees often report being denied access to the camp—managed by KIRS—which remains unchanged compared to last year. Refugees typically arrive in Obrenovac after entering from Bulgaria, waiting outdoors near the center for smugglers and vehicles that will take them to the Hungarian border. The transport from Belgrade to Subotica costs between €100 and €150 per person.

-Increased Presence of FRONTEX in the North, along with international cross-border police cooperation to prevent irregular migration. Joint Italian and German police patrols with Serbian police monitor border zones and roads leading to EU border crossings. As of 2025, Polish police forces are also present in northern Serbia under Frontex. Frontex vehicles from Poland and Germany are visibly active, especially between 5 PM and 6 AM. Frequent patrol movements by border police are noted in Subotica and surrounding areas.

From March 4, 2025 onwards, Hungary deployed 25 police officers to Serbia and 20 to Bulgaria, as announced by Hungary’s State Secretary for the Interior, Rétvári. As part of quadrilateral cooperation on preventing illegal border crossings (now involving Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria), Hungarian officers are patrolling not only border areas but also roads throughout Serbia and Bulgaria using field vehicles, handheld night-vision devices, handheld thermal cameras, and mobile thermal cameras.

-Police Procedures Following Pushbacks – Prolonged Detention in the North. At the Horgoš border crossing, daily police procedures are conducted to prevent crossings, identify individuals, and detain and relocate refugees after pushbacks by Hungarian police. Serbian police continue the trend of detaining individuals (40–50 people) for up to 12 hours in a facility near the Horgoš–Röszke border crossing. Refugees report that men, women, and children are still housed in the same room with a shared toilet. After detention, they are routinely issued orders terminating their stay and are relocated by police vans or buses to reception camps in Bujanovac and Preševo in southern Serbia. If caught just before attempting to cross into Hungary, refugees are taken by Serbian border police and Frontex to the nearest police station (PU Kikinda or PU Subotica), where they are held until appearing before a misdemeanour judge for illegal entry and stay in Serbia. Fines typically range from RSD 7,000–10,000 or 7–10 days in prison if they cannot pay. After serving time or paying the fine, they are relocated to southern camps.

-Increased Movement Toward Croatia, Mostly Hidden in Truck Trailers – Refugees encountered by APC teams in Preševo, Bujanovac, and Obrenovac increasingly report using the Croatia route as an option toward Western Europe. APC estimates that at least 20 people attempt to cross into Croatia daily, often with the help of smugglers waiting at parking lots near the Batrovci border crossing. In cooperation with truck drivers, smugglers arrange for refugees to travel hidden in freight trailers. Refugees who spent hours in the Šid Police Station report that if police catch people near or at the Croatian border, they are taken to PU Šid and then relocated to the Preševo camp. In late February, a group of Syrian refugees reported a violent pushback by Croatian police, including baton beatings and phone destruction, before being handed over to Serbian border police, who took them to PU Šid, processed them before a misdemeanour judge, and then relocated them to Preševo after a fine or jail time.

-Ethnic Composition – Mostly adult individuals from Afghanistan, Syria, and Turkey, with an increasing number from Morocco, Egypt, Palestine, and Iraq.