Between January - end October 2019, over 25,534 refugees and migrants passed through Bosnia and Herzegovina. An estimated 8,300 are still in country, mainly in the Una Sana Canton in the north-west. The majority are forced to stay outside and their situation is worsening due to the cold weather, violent pushbacks and restrictive police measures, including forced disembarkations at the canton border, evictions and forced transfers to the Vucjak camp, which remains substandard and dangerous.
There is a significant lack of appropriate accommodation for refugees and migrants. Currently, 3,771 migrants are accommodated in the 5 EU-funded centres. The Federal Government has agreed to open 2 new reception facilities but continue to face opposition from the relevant cantons.
To avoid a humanitarian crisis this winter, the EU continues to advocate for the urgent closure of Vucjak, the provision of additional shelter and activation of the contingency plan. Since 2018, the EU has contributed €36 million to address the refugee crisis in the country, including providing €5.8 million in humanitarian assistance.