National conference "Challenges and potentials of mixed migration in the Republic of Serbia"

On December 21st, Group 484 organised one day national conference entitled "Challenges and potentials of mixed migration in the Republic of Serbia" in Belgrade.

The conference was opened by Minister Gordana Čomić, Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, and the participants were introduced by Uroš Živković, Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, "EU Support in Migration Management in Serbia - Improving accommodation capacities, social protection and access to education" and Ivan Kuzminović, Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway. After the introductory panel, the working part of the conference was divided into two thematic units. The first session was dedicated to challenges of the growing anti-immigrant rhetoric as well as the way the media reports on migration. The main speaker was journalist and chief editor of the foreign policy department of EURONEWS Serbia Ms. Nataša Đulić Banović. Within the second session, the work was organized into two thematic units, the first of which was dedicated to access to rights with special emphasis on the right to work, while the second focused on status issues and the application of measures restricting freedom of movement of different categories of migrants.

During the working part of the conference, the process and content of legislative amendments to key laws in the field of migration and asylum were discussed, and some of the research and analysis prepared by Group 484 during the implementation of projects were presented.

The conference was attended by state institutions, international and national organization, embassies, social protection institutions, etc.

 Conference was organized as a part of the Center for migration activities within the projects: "Road Map for Migrants-Guide through the Labyrinth", funded by European Union and "Support to Migrant and Local Communities in Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia" funded by the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade.