ZAGREB, February 14, 2019 – The government adopted a decision on Thursday to receive another 150 people under the EU refugee relocation scheme, and this applies to citizens of third countries or without citizenship who qualify for international protection this year.
“By implementing the relocation programme and with this decision, the government is trying to ensure a legal arrival of citizens of third countries or persons without citizenship who are in need of international protection to the EU area to an extent that is sustainable for Croatia, whereby we wish to additionally avoid the deaths and exploitation by traffickers of people arriving in the EU irregularly,” said Interior Minister Davor Božinović.
Croatia adopted the first such decision in July 2015, receiving 152 Syrian citizens.
A second decision, on the resettlement of another 100 persons, was adopted in October 2017, the minister said, adding that logistical preparations were under way on the relocation of Syrian citizens from Turkey to Croatia.
Croatia is adopting this decision based on available capacity, to meet obligations stemming from European and international documents on refugees, and taking into account the fact that, as an EU member state, it supports the principle of solidarity and equal sharing of responsibility, Božinović said.
More news on the migrant policies can be found in the Politics section.
