Macut: Discussion at the London Summit Focused on Migration Security, Serbia Proposed Two Things

After the summit, speaking to reporters in front of Lancaster House in London, Macut said that the talks centered around migration in Europe, an issue that the United Kingdom particularly emphasized by proposing certain solutions related to migration movements.

According to him, British officials praised the very active cooperation between Serbia and Hungary when it comes to managing migration in the region. He added that the second part of the discussion focused primarily on economic issues, particularly investments in the region.

"What Serbia proposed were two issues we are facing. The first is the opening of all of Europe — or rather, our entire region — to become a free roaming zone. This is something that would certainly help and make life easier for our citizens," said Macut.

Foto: Tanjug/Vlada Republike Srbije/Slobodan Miljević

He noted that the second proposal from Serbia was an agreement on joint representation of non-EU countries concerning transport matters.

"The Western Balkan countries and the United Kingdom have been invited to join a joint proposal to the European Commission, suggesting that transport companies and carriers be allowed to count the time spent within the Schengen Zone — rather than the number of days. This would lead to much more efficient service delivery and transport of goods through the European Union, as our transporters — not only from Serbia but throughout the Western Balkans — are under significant pressure to complete their stays within the Schengen Zone on time," Macut explained.

He added that the summit also covered other pressing issues for the region.

According to him, he also held informal talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.

"No Direct Discussion Yet on the Reception of Migrants Returned from the UK"

The Prime Minister stated that the issue of returning migrants from the United Kingdom and opening camps for them in other countries was not raised at the Summit. He added that Serbia would make its decision on that matter once it receives a complete offer.

Responding to journalists’ questions, Macut said that the topic was not directly addressed but that it had been mentioned and would be discussed in the future.

"There were no details discussed, and there is readiness among some countries — or perhaps certain regions — to respond to this issue more or less actively. Some are not in favor of it, while others are open to discussion," said Macut.

Komentari (0)