First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic said today that 4,579 Serbian citizens sought asylum in EU countries in 2011, which is 8% down against 2010.

Opening a forum of the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI), Dacic said that Serbia is taking very successful measures to reduce the number of asylum seekers from Serbia in the EU, through the work of the Commission for implementation of visa liberalisation, but also by conducting informative, police and operational measures, as well as normative and socio-economic ones.

The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that in 2010, the number of applicants for asylum in Serbia increased dramatically compared to the previous period.

About two-thirds of asylum seekers are the nationals of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine, he stated noting that they are most numerous illegal migrants in the territory of Serbia.

He pointed out that there has been an increased number of illegal crossings recently, and added that in 2009, the number of illegal crossings was 2,029, in 2010 year 4,320, and in 2011 more than 5,000.

The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that the police in 2011 increased border security and control at all crossings, especially with Macedonia and Hungary.

Dacic said that the Serbian Interior Ministry has become a significant factor in the international and especially regional police cooperation, and said that our country will support the formation of a network of experts in the field of legal migration.

He pointed out that MARRI is one of the important forms of regional cooperation that allows engagement in the processes of regional security and regional integration.

During the presidency over this initiative in 2011, Serbia emphasised two priorities – management of legal migration and fight against human trafficking, said the Deputy Prime Minister and called on countries in the region to play a more active role in the fight against human trafficking.

The Serbian Interior Ministry will officially hand over the MARRI presidency to Bosnia-Herzegovina.