Migration in Modern Serbia – Managing and Mediating Refugee Flows

Abstract

This study outlines the socio-historical context of the movement of populations in a geographical area that roughly corresponds to contemporary Serbia, examining the migration flows in this area since the 19th century. It examines data on the migration management that Serbia undertook during the migrant and refugee crisis of 2015 and the events that followed. This analysis revealed an amalgam of the continuity and discontinuity of migration flows in Serbian society. Serbia has a relatively long history of external migration driven by economic and political circumstances, during which these two groups of drivers trade places based on their dominance. However, a new phenomenon has transformed the entire Serbian territory into a transit zone for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia attempting to reach the EU. Further, the study demonstrates how Serbian institutions manage these processes by providing various statistical data and commentary on these data.