Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina to cope with a potential influx of refugees and migrants, in the light of the political and security situation in that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) earlier this month gave a positive assessment of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)’s contingency planning, particularly in Bijeljina and Trebenje, which are two areas that could be at risk of overspill. The British Government remains concerned about BiH’s limited capacity to register an influx of arrivals, and to conduct security screening, including through the use of biometrics. We welcome the fact that BiH and the UNHCR have identified the establishment of reception centres close to likely border crossing points as a priority, and look forward to the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s provision of a comprehensive needs assessment to inform planning for external support.