The latest from the migrant crisis.
Despite criticism from Brussels, Austria yesterday started to implement the daily quota for the entry of migrants into the country. This means that Austria will accept up to 3,200 people a day and will not accept more than 80 applications for asylum per day. The European Commission considers the decision in breach of the European law, but Austria, dissatisfied with the ineffectiveness of the European Union actions in the refugee crisis, does not want to change its new policies. Indeed, according to the Slovenian and Austrian media, Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner announced the possibility that conditions might be further tightened, especially when it comes to asylum applications, reports Novilist on February 20, 2016.
Last year, around 90,000 people have applied for asylum in Austria, but Vienna says that this year they will accept no more than 37,500 new asylum seekers. Slovenian media report that police in Styria do not expect any problems due to the introduction of the daily quota because in recent weeks the number of migrants crossing the southern Austrian border was smaller than the newly-appointed limit.
The passage of migrants through the countries on the so-called Balkan Route was further slowed down, as evidenced by the data of the Slovenian police. Reception centres in Slovenia were almost empty yesterday, while, for example, in the transit centre in Šentilj there were only 25 people which Austria had returned to Slovenia. Slovenian police reported yesterday that the last entry of migrants happened on Wednesday, although during the day they were expecting another refugee train from Croatia.
There was some confusion caused by the information that Serbia had closed its border with Macedonia for migrants because Croatia had allegedly stopped accepting migrants. However, there rumours were denied by the Croatian Interior Ministry saying that it had accepted from Serbia a certain number of migrants who were on Friday morning transported by buses to the Croatian border, and then to the temporary refugee camp in Slavonski Brod.
However, it is obvious that more stringent controls on the border between Greece and Macedonia have significantly slowed down the refugee wave. Serbian Radio Television reported that border with Macedonia had not been closed, but that profiling of migrants is being carried out, in accordance with the agreement between the police forces on the Balkan Route.
Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković said yesterday in Brussels that Croatia will protect its national interests in the refugee crisis and that efforts should be focused on the search for the solution on the border between Turkey and Greece. Commenting on the new Austrian restrictions for refugees, Orešković said that “the situation changes from day to day”. “We will daily monitor how the situation develops. Croatia will protect its national interests, but the main message is that we are again cooperating with Austria, Slovenia, Serbia and Macedonia”, said Orešković.
