On 17 March, the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia hosted an event to mark the start of construction on a multi-apartment building which will provide housing for 40 refugee families. The total project cost is estimated at EUR 700 000, and the works should be finalised within a year.

Sremska Mitrovica is one of the nine municipalities participating in the implementation of SRB2 sub-project. In the other eight municipalities – Krusevac, Paracin, Vrsac, Prokuplje, Bajina Basta, Sabac, Kikinda and Sid – works on the construction of a further 200 apartments will start soon.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic stressed that in the last three years, Serbia has received 87 million euros in RHP grants. He also highlighted the benefits of the regional nature of the programme: “The scope of the RHP outgrows the national borders and gives an excellent example of efficient regional cooperation”, concluded Minister Dacic.

Commissioner Vladimir Cucic added that many other RHP projects are ongoing in Serbia, and that by the end of 2017, an additional 2000 beneficiary families will receive RHP housing solutions, in addition to over 700 families which already moved into new homes by end 2016.

The ceremony was also attended by the representatives of the main RHP Donors, the EU and the U.S., as well as the partner organisations UNHCR and OSCE.

Branislav and Vida Jovicic are one of the beneficiary families which will move into a new apartment in Sremska Mitrovica next year. Branislav lived in Istria region, where he worked on a ship. Since the beginning of the war, he has been living as a tenant and is looking forward to receiving the keys to his own apartment. “My wife and I are already at a certain age, a few years away from the retirement, and we really appreciate the opportunity to live in an apartment in a town.”