The latest on the migrant crisis, with 30,000 people expected on the Croatian border tonight.
Due to a strike in Greece, the influx of refugees to Croatia has been weaker in recent days than in the last two months. However, the strike has now ended, ferries from Greek islands have again started arriving to Greek mainland, and there are thousands and thousands of people on their way first to Serbia and then to Croatia. Croatian Interior Ministry has confirmed that there are around 30,000 migrants who should start coming to the Croatian border on Sunday night, reports Vecernji List on November 8, 2015.
“According to our information, there are more than 10,000 refugees approaching Serbia. They will first be registered in Preševo, and then transported to the railway station in Šid, from where they will arrive in Slavonski Brod in Croatia”, said Ivica Jović, commissioner for refugees and migrants of the Municipality of Šid in Serbia. The Serbian side will keep the refugees in several reception centres in order to avoid the gathering of too many people at the train station, which could lead to disorder. Croatian police say it has not called up additional manpower because it believes that the existing police forces can do everything which is necessary.
From midnight to 9 pm on Saturday, 2,000 migrants and refugees entered Croatia. The winter reception centre in Slavonski Brod is currently empty. Since the beginning of the migration crisis, 335,130 migrants and refugees have entered Croatia.
Money from the crisis funds which the European Commission has approved for Croatia, worth in total about 16.4 million euros, will be used primarily to cover the costs of the current crisis, which are approximately two million kuna a day. In addition to the accommodation and transport of migrants, the total sum includes additional costs as well, like overtime pay for police officers. The remaining part of the funds will be allocated to cover the costs of new refugees coming to Croatia.
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar said that he will guard the border with wire fences, the police and the army, and that “it is not just a hypothetical option”. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the establishment of “safe zones” in Afghanistan to which migrants would be returned. Members of AFD organization protested yesterday in Germany against immigrants, while German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that “Syrians would be receiving subsidiary protection rather than asylum”. This would mean that they would be granted a stay of one year, without bringing any family members.
His statement was immediately criticized by some. “It has really become too much. Instead of helping municipalities and cities in solving the problems with refugees, De Maiziere is suggesting reckless ideas”, Vice President of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Ralf Stegner said for NDR. The Ministry of Interior has immediately denied any such plans, but observers believe that De Maiziere’s statement is a “trial balloon”, launched only a day after a painstakingly negotiated compromise on refugee policy guidelines was adopted by the presidents of the parties of the ruling coalition. Germany plans to as quickly as possible reject all the refugees coming from those countries which are assessed to be safe.
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