The latest from the migrant crisis in Croatia.
The reduced inflow of migrants to Croatia continued on Thursday as well. According to numbers published by Croatian Interior Ministry, by Thursday evening just 952 refugees had entered Croatia, and there were just four people at the temporary refugee centre in Slavonski Brod. In previous days, the average influx was about 6,000 people a day, reports Index.hr, Jutarnji List and Vecernji List on November 27, 2015.
Police spokeswoman Jelena Bikić said that it was not clear whether this would be a long-term trend or just a temporary standstill. “We assume that there is a larger number of people at the Serbian-Macedonian border and possibly that is the reason for the reduced influx”, said Bikić who addressed the media in the absence of Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić. He travelled to Greece and Macedonia for talks with Greek Minister for Migration Ionnis Mouzalas and Macedonian Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski about the migrant crisis.
The reception centre in Slavonski Brod has so far accommodated 132,000 migrants and refugees, while the total number of people who have passed through Croatia is about 445,000. The reduced influx of refugees has enabled officials at the camp to do some maintenance and get some much-needed rest.
Despite the reduced influx, Slovenia is continuing with the construction of the fence on its border with Croatia. Croatia yesterday delivered a diplomatic protest to Slovenia against the Slovenian unlawful blockage of border transition points which are used by local residents of the border area, established by the Agreement on Border Traffic and Cooperation signed in 1997. Croatia pointed out that the Slovenian side is applying double standards, by blocking off two crossing points used by Croatian citizens, while not blocking crossing points used by Slovenian citizens.
Slovenia has rejected the allegations, stating that the technical barriers are being put up to prevent a possible spill-over of migrants over the green border between Croatia and Slovenia. The barriers just follow the “configuration of the terrain” and Croatian citizens can use the other nearest entry points.
More than 200 migrants, mostly Moroccans, Algerians and Pakistanis, who are blocked at the Greek-Macedonian border, tried on Thursday to break through into Macedonia, destroying the barbed wire fence at the Idomeni border crossing and demanding that they be allowed to continue along the path towards northern Europe. They are among 1,500 migrants who are forced to remain near the Greek town of Idomeni due to European policy of filtering migrants who come to the Balkans and only allowing the passage of refugees fleeing armed conflict in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The migrants shouted “Open the Borders” and “We Want to Go to Germany” and have thrown stones and debris on the Macedonian police. Several of them who managed to penetrate into Macedonia were quickly arrested by the special police.
Some of the migrants who cannot enter Macedonia have began returning to Thessaloniki and Athens, where the authorities are preparing a former sports complex for their accommodation. With the help of volunteers, the authorities “are trying to gradually convince the migrants that they probably will not be able to go” to Europe, Greek Minister for Migration Policy Ionnis Mouzalas said.
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