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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Good cooperation of police of Serbia, Germany

Belgrade, 29 March 2011

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic and Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of the Interior Ole Schroeder signed today Protocol between the Serbian and German governments on the implementation of the Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Serbia on readmission of persons who are illegal residents.

Ole Schroeder and Ivica Dacic

Dacic and Schroeder said at a joint press conference held after the meeting that this protocol envisages a series of activities aimed at preventing false asylum seeking, underlining that Serbia is a politically free country and that there is no reason for requests, mainly from Roma, for getting asylum in Germany.

This protocol obliges all those residing illegally in Germany to return to Serbia immediately, Dacic said and added that the purpose of this document is to cut the number of false asylum seekers.

He specified that the number of false asylum seekers in February this year, compared to December 2010 dropped by 35% and announced the launch of a public campaign that would raise the awareness of citizens that the right to asylum is not an economic but political category and that visa free regime does not mean the right to work.

Dacic referred to excellent cooperation of the interior ministries and police units of the two states, which is reflected in operational activities, but also in the support of the German colleagues through various training programs and grants.

Schroeder said that last year there were about 5,000 requests for asylum from Serbia and pointed out that there is no reason for people from Serbia to seek asylum and that they will be immediately returned under the Readmission Agreement.

He said that Germany abolished every kind of financial help for the return of false asylum seekers and added that at the beginning of this year the number of asylum seekers was still high, which is why the agreement has been reached with representatives of Serbia on intensifying cooperation on prevention of arrival of false asylum seekers.

The two officials signed the Agreement on the donation of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior to the Serbian Ministry of the Interior in the form of equipment worth €45,000 for the needs of the Serbian border police.

They also signed a joint statement on hiring armed guards on the flights between Serbia and Germany who will be responsible for the safety of passengers.

The First Deputy Prime Minister explained that this means that on the flights between Serbia and Germany members of the two countries’ interior ministries will be allowed to carry weapons, which will contribute to greater safety in the civil aviation.

Germany is one of the first states with which a statement on such an activity has been signed, Dacic pointed out.

Schroeder said that there are already unarmed guards on the flights between the two countries, and added that it is necessary to define how the German representatives will handle weapons, that is, where they will leave it and how they will take it again.