Melbourne: Ambassador Stefanović at the international conference “Borders, work and mobility: comparing the EU and Australia”

26. Aug 2022.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Australia, Rade Stefanović, participated in the international conference “Borders, work and mobility: comparing the EU and Australia”, organized by Monash University from Melbourne, within the framework of the Jean Monet and Erasmus+ programmes.

Speaking as part of the panel “Work, refugees and migration: impact on the Balkans”, Ambassador Stefanović presented the migration profile of Serbia, with particular reference to specifics in the form of the existence of a long-term problem of refugees from the area of ​​the former SFRY (from the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) and almost 200,000 internally displaced persons from the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, who, due to the security situation, are unable to return to their homes.

Stefanović also spoke about the “Open Balkan” initiative, i.e. the accelerated connection of the Republic of Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Serbia, which is based on the four key freedoms of the EU (freedom of movement of people, capital, goods and services), and particularly emphasized the importance of creating a single labour market, which should contribute to an even more dynamic economic development, attracting foreign investments, but also creating a climate for easier resolution of political issues.

The ambassador referred to the position of the Serbian diaspora and the economic potential it represents, and talked about the initiative for the return and easier resolution of their status issues within the project Carta Serbica.