Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 37th Extraordinary Session

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted today a Decision on establishment of a temporary migrant accommodation and transit centre “Lipa” in the area of Bihać, which will be a prefabricated unit of container type, of 1,500 persons accommodation capacity. 

The Ministry of Security was tasked to solve, together with authorities of the Bihać town, the legal issues concerning issuance of an use permit for “Lipa” centre, and establish the temporary transit and accommodation centre for migrants, together with the Foreigners’ Affairs Service.

Also, the Ministry was tasked to define and sign a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Bihać town, Government of the Unsko-Sanski Canton, Foreigners’ Affairs Service, International Organisation for Migrations and other responsible institutions, agencies and organisations, which would regulate the way of cooperation and mutual assistance, for the aim of establishment of the “Lipa” Centre.

The establishment of the temporary migrant accommodation and transit centre “Lipa” will be financed through donated resources.

The Decision takes force as at day of its adoption and publishing in the “Official Gazette of BIH”..

The “Lipa” tent camp, capacity for 1,000 persons, was opened on April 21, 2020, and was intended for accommodation of men. On December 1, 2020, the camp accommodated 1,272 persons.

An operative group for activity coordination and migrant crisis supervision in the area of the Unsko-Sanski Canton, in its conclusion of October 26, 2020, requested responsible authorities to declare the “Lipa” camp for temporary admission centre and to assist in improving accommodation conditions and functionality of the camp.

The Bihać town authorities granted its consent for temporary accommodation of migrants at the “Lipa” Centre, on November 6, 2020.

The Council of Ministers failed to reach a consensus by vote on a conclusion obliging the Ministry of Security of BIH to take activities, in compliance with an agreement reached with the Delegation of the European Union and in cooperation with competent bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to establish and make functional a temporary migrant transit and accommodation centre “Ciljuge” , in the Živinice Municipality, of capacity for 1,000 persons. The conclusion will be on the agenda again, in the second round of voting.

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