The conference saw the participation of foreign ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sven Alkalaj, the Republic of Serbia Vuk Jeremić and Montenegro Milan Roćen, as well as representatives of the EU, UNHCR, Council of Europe and OSCE
The conference saw the participation of foreign ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sven Alkalaj, the Republic of Serbia Vuk Jeremić and Montenegro Milan Roćen, as well as representatives of the EU, UNHCR, Council of Europe and OSCE.
During his presentation, Minister Jandroković confirmed Croatia’s political will to ensure the proper conditions for the return or local integration of displaced persons. He added that Croatia is the only country in the region that has implemented concrete and measurable programs for meeting the obligations from the Sarajevo Declaration. The process of reconstruction and housing has so far seen €5.3 billion worth of investments. Despite the financial crisis, the Croatian Government is still running all of the assistance programs from refugees and displaced persons, which remains one of its highest priorities. According to the latest data, the Republic of Croatia has locally integrated 120,000 refugees, and created the preconditions for the return of all the displaced persons and 132,000 returnees.
Furthermore, the Republic of Croatia, although it was not its international legal obligation, has introduced a mechanism for housing the former holders of tenancy rights, but under the condition they return, which does lie at the very core of the international refugee law. The Republic of Croatia has also successfully resolved the issues of property return, the issue of implementing the Law on Agricultural Land, and created the mechanisms for resolving the issue of convalidating the years of service with no temporal restrictions.
Satisfying the criteria that the Republic of Croatia has set for itself remains a top priority of the Croatian Government, as evidenced also by the recently passed Activity Plan which determined the mechanisms for an even more transparent and efficient implementation of the Housing Program for Refugees, Former Holders of Tenancy Rights, meaning that the return process will soon be complete.
Minister Jandroković remarked that the emphasis of the Conference should be on the local integration, primarily of the elderly, infirm and socially handicapped. He added that all those who have not yet decided to return of integrate locally should be invited to do so, as it cannot be postponed indefinitely.
Minister Jandroković also pointed out the need of harmonizing and uniformly implementing the international deregistration regulations, as the number of persons with a refugee status in certain countries of the region is still unrealistically high, adding that without determining the real number of refugees, it is impossible to determine the real situation nor the potential financial implications.
Conclusively, Minister Jandroković remarked that international solidarity is of crucial importance for finding a permanent solution to the issue of refugees and displaced persons in South Eastern Europe. He thanked the international community representatives for their contribution to resolving said issue in the region, expressing hope that soon, in cooperation with the international community, a donation conference will be held and a fund set up that would, in a depoliticized manner, enable a successful implementation of projects based on the real needs of individuals.
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