Belgrade, April 2, 2025 – In the second half of 2024, new trends have emerged regarding the approach to the reception and accommodation of refugees moving through Serbia, as well as in the way institutions manage migration. These changes are visibly influencing the identification and reorganization of smuggling routes through Serbia. Although irregular migration towards Hungary and other EU member states in northern Serbia significantly slowed at the beginning of 2024—thanks to extensive police operations targeting smuggling groups in Vojvodina (late 2023)—since August 2024, attempts at irregular border crossings into Hungary, as well as pushbacks (the illegal return of people) from Hungary into Serbia, have increased. With the closure of refugee reception centers in Vojvodina and across Serbia (out of the 17 existing reception centers under the administration of the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia (KIRS), only 5 continued to operate smoothly after August 2024—and none of them are located in Vojvodina or along Serbia’s northern borders with the EU), the already difficult situation of vulnerable refugee groups is deteriorating further. This is especially concerning in light of their prolonged presence in the north of the country, forced relocations to southern Serbia, uncertain legal status, and heightened risk of violence and exploitation by smugglers and criminal groups.

As in the first half of 2024, refugees continue to have no access to accommodation or information and protection services in the north of the country. As a result, they mostly remain either in a few remaining KIRS camps—mainly in the south and southwest—or under the constant surveillance and control of smugglers.

Find out more about the situation of vulnerable refugees in northern Serbia in our APC publication report: https://www.azilsrbija.rs/polozaj-ranjivih-grupa-izbeglica-na-severnoj-granici-jul-decembar-2024/