Forty refugee families displaced from the territory of the former Yugoslavia and living in Kruševac in central Serbia were given keys to their new homes on Tuesday during an event attended by the Head of the European Union Delegation, Sem Fabrizi, the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić, Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, Vladimir Cucić, delegates of the UNHCR, and Kruševac town officials.

Ambassador Fabrizi thanked the members of refugee families for their patience, saying that he hoped their new homes would make them finally feel safe. “This is a wonderful expression of solidarity by the EU and its citizens towards nations of the Western Balkans. The outcome of this essential project shows that we have succeeded and that we are still succeeding in doing a great job,” he said.

The apartments were built under the Regional Housing Programme (RHP). The programme was established to provide permanent housing solutions to vulnerable refugees and displaced persons following the 1991-1995 conflict in the former Yugoslavia. The RHP conducts its activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. The European Union is the project’s main donor.

Speaking about the programme’s achievements, Fabrizi highlighted the figure of 5,150 families whose housing issue has been permanently resolved, whether through the construction of new apartment units, or adaptation or purchase of existing housing units. The goal of the programme is to provide housing solutions for 7,600 refugee and displaced families.