First 150 migrants to arrive from Turkey.
According to sources close to the Austrian government, the Albanian mafia has very quickly adapted to the situation created after the closure of the so-called Western Balkan migrant route. It has invested millions of euros in fast boats and vessels to open a new route and bring migrants across the Adriatic into the EU. Migrant flows are very unstable and flexible, and smugglers are quickly adapting to the new situation, so the closure of the Western Balkan route is just another obstacle for them in a series of problems they have faced so far, reports Večernji List on March 19, 2016.
The Croatian police are reportedly ready to protect the border from illegal entry, and at this moment does not need help from the army. “We are afraid of the situation that police forces will not be able to control the situation”, said recently Deputy Defence Minister Tomislav Ivić. However, even if the army comes to the border, the police will continue to have the main role in restoring order, said Interior Minister Vlaho Orepić.
At the same time, the European Commission is working on plans to permanently relocate refugees. According to plans, Croatia should receive about 150 people from Turkey by 20 July. Last summer, the government adopted several decisions regarding migrants, but the actual operational plans never came to the government’s agenda. In draft documents, the government mentions only two locations where migrants could be accommodated – Hotel Porin in Zagreb (600 persons) and Centre for Asylum Seekers in Kutina (100 persons).
The state has the obligation to integrate refugees into society and therefore – when and if they are transferred to Croatia – migrants would learn the Croatian language, history and culture in order to more easily integrate into the society, find a job and be able to care for themselves and their families. The Ministry of Science, Education and Sport has already concluded agreements with educational institutions in Zagreb, Velika Gorica, Kutina, Pula and Poreč where refugees would be able to attend Croatian language courses.
In order to help them find a job, they would be able to register with the Croatian Employment Service. If they did not have enough money to provide for themselves, the state would provide them with accommodation for up to two years. As far as the other rights are concerned – health care, social assistance and education – they would be more or less equal to Croatian citizens.
