Balkan route close refugee and other countries raise alerts
Slovenia's decision caused a reaction that followed Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia.
The so-called "Balkan route" was closed Wednesday for refugees from the Middle East after this midnight restore the Schengen rules, while other countries in the region, such as Bulgaria or Hungary, raised their alert if open alternative route to central Europe.
As on previous occasions, the decision of a country, this time Slovenia has caused a chain reaction that has forced the closure of the route through Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia, countries that, although not in the Schengen area of free Community movement, have applied the same rules.
This step has not been a unilateral measure, it has been agreed at the European summit this week on refugees, said Wednesday the European Council President Donald Tusk. "The irregular flow of migrants along the route of the Western Balkans has come to an end. It is not a question of unilateral action, but a joint decision of the European Union (EU)," said Tusk in his account of the social network Twitter.
"I thank the countries of the Western Balkans to implement part of the overall EU strategy to address the immigration crisis," the Community responsible.
The measure has not been a problem at the borders of Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia because refugees arrive in dribs and drabs after the closure of the Macedonian border with Greece in late February.
"Since Slovenia has returned to fully implement the Schengen rules on the border with Croatia at border crossings any change is not seen", Efe confirmed Wednesday a spokeswoman for the Slovenian police. According to the Slovenian Ministry of Interior, since last Sunday has not reached any refugees, while in previous days came several hundred a day.
These figures contrast with the thousands of refugees, in some days even 10,000, which were recorded daily in the last months of last year.
Special case
Slovenia is not allowed to enter who have no passport or visa but will be open to whoever wants to seek asylum in the country. Croatia, which is not part of Schengen but the EU has followed the example of Slovenia and prohibits transit who do not have proper documentation.
"The Balkan route is closed," summed up at a press conference the Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic, while explaining: "Whoever does not ask for asylum can not happen." "In two weeks we will reduced the transit of 3,200 refugees a day, limit two weeks ago Austria set to zero. I think it is a very positive result, we have achieved without tensions or incidents," he added.
Serbia has also introduced restrictions after Slovenia to report that he would restore the Schengen rules.
In that country has not entered any refugees from neighboring Macedonia in the last 48 hours, said Wednesday the Serbian state television RTS. Macedonia also officially announced that it closed its border with Greece after two days in which it was sealed and no refugee facto managed to cross it.
The gradual closure of borders in the Balkans has left them stranded in Greece to some 36,000 refugees, according to official data Greeks.
The EU and Turkey this week reached an agreement in principle that includes the return to the Eurasian country of people arriving irregularly to Greece from Turkish territory, something criticized by the UN and many NGOs who consider it illegal.
Since last fall, hundreds of thousands of refugees arrived from Turkey to the Greek coast continued their journey, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia Macedonia to Austria, Germany and other northern European countries. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of refugees stranded there in Greece and other Balkan countries have alerted the authorities in Bulgaria and Hungary.
Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumiana Bachvarova said for his part that his country would take "all necessary measures" to prevent a new route of refugees to cross its territory.
The Army and the Bulgarian Police conducted last weekend joint maneuvers to prepare protection, and even closure of the border with Greece if the route followed the refugees into northern Europe diverted to its territory.
Hungary, meanwhile, declared a "state of crisis immigration" throughout the country and strengthen the military and police as borders in the south, with Croatia and Serbia. "We do not know how to react immigrants" who are still in the Balkan countries have closed their borders, summarized the Interior Minister Sándor Pintér.
