According to some forecasts, refugee route might come closer to the Croatian coast
It is expected that Croatia will soon adopt the amendments to the Law on State Border Control and the Law on Defence. The idea is to allow Croatian Army to help police control the migrant crisis. “We will probably create that possibility, but we will rely mainly on the police forces. Similar decisions have already been made by Slovenia and Serbia, so we will raise our level of preparedness”, said Interior Minister Vlaho Orepić recently, reports index.hr on March 4, 2016.
Prime Minister Orešković confirmed the changes to the law. “If we need to use the army to facilitate the procedure and continue our humane approach, then we will do it, but only as a help”, said the Prime Minister.
The opposition does not support such idea. SDP president and former Prime Minister Zoran Milanović said that sending the military to the border was a bad idea. “The army has been helping police for months, and the task of the police is to control the state border. It makes no sense to use the army since Croatia is not being attacked. Mothers with children and unarmed men who are trying to go to northern Europe are a problem for the whole of Europe, and it will not be solved by a fetish towards uniforms”, said Milanović.
Croatian Tourism Minister Anton Kliman does not expect that migrant route will reach Dalmatia. “What you read in the German media, I would say that is a level of fear. To me, this route seems quite impossible. Migrants would have to cross a very demanding terrain. However, we are monitoring the situation and we will know how to protect national interests”, said the Tourism Minister. Asked if there was a plan if it did happen, he responded: “There is no plan because we have no such information, just speculation. But I will talk with the Interior Minister about that possibility”, he said.
Interestingly, the story about the possible opening of the southern refugee route through Dalmatia was repeatedly mentioned by Kliman’s HDZ during the election campaign. At the end of September, HDZ president Karamarko tried to visit the Prevlaka peninsula at the southern tip of Croatia, in order to see for himself whether the rumours about preparations for the arrival of migrants were true. “I came here symbolically to show resolve. We cannot tolerate the uncontrolled entry of migrants. In recent days, there are rumours about the southern corridor, and that would be disastrous for our tourism”, said Karamarko in September when police prevented him from coming to Prevlaka.
In early February this year, Foreign Minister Miro Kovač (HDZ) denied that there would be a refugee wave coming to Croatia through Montenegro, but added that “Croatia would be ready” if it comes to that.
