Serbia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a new “traffic light” travel advisory system categorising countries worldwide according to perceived safety risks, placing neighbouring Croatia in a category for travel only in cases of “utmost necessity,” Serbian media reported on Wednesday.
Under the system, released by the ministry on social media, all countries are divided into four colour-coded categories based on security risk assessments.
• Red – travel not recommended for security reasons. This includes 23 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, among them Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Ukraine, Afghanistan and Libya.
• Orange – travel advised only in cases of “utmost necessity”. Croatia is the only European Union member state on this list of 28 countries, which otherwise consists largely of African and Asian states.
• Yellow – travel with additional caution. Albania was the only European country in this category.
• Green – general travel permitted with normal precautions. All other countries fall into this group.
The ministry said the advisory is intended to inform Serbian citizens about security conditions in foreign destinations and is accessible on its official website with searchable guidance for each country.
The reasoning behind Croatia’s placement in the “utmost necessity” category was not detailed in the public advisory, and Reuters could not immediately find a response from either Serbian or Croatian foreign ministries. Croatia has previously issued advisories of its own related to regional security concerns, including warnings to its citizens about travel to parts of the Middle East amid ongoing instability.
Serbia’s traffic-light system is a broader update to travel guidance issued by the foreign ministry, which regularly reviews safety recommendations for citizens travelling abroad.