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Tiny Slovenia has said it will only take in 2,500 people a day, significantly stalling the movement of people as they fled their countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. On Saturday, more than 6,000 people reached Croatia, but most of them were stuck in the country as well as in neighboring Serbia on Sunday- and thousands kept on arriving. On the Serbian-Croatian border, tensions flared and scuffles erupted as hundreds of irritated migrants faced a cordon of Croatian policemen preventing them from entry. The Balkan migrant route switched to Slovenia early Saturday after Hungary's right-wing government closed its border to Croatia for the influx, citing security concerns and saying it wants to protect the European Union from an uncontrolled flow of people.
Police officers organize groups of migrants after they arrive from Croatia in Sredisce ob Dravi, Slovenia, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015. Hungary shut down its border with Croatia to the free flow of migrants, prompting Croatia to redirect thousands of people toward its border with Slovenia.
Slovenian officials said they can't accept 5,000 migrants per day as asked by Croatia, which is likely to cause a further backlog in the flow. Interior Ministry official Bostjan Sefic said Slovenia can't take more than neighboring Austria, which said it can accept 1,500 per day. "If we would accept 5,000 migrants per day that would mean 35,000 would be in Slovenia in 10 days," Sefic said, taking into account those who leave for Austria. "That would be unacceptable." Slovenia said Sunday it won't allow entry to about 1,800 migrants on a train from Croatia after more than 2,000 people have already entered in one day. Some 5,000 other migrants will have to spend a cold night in a camp in Opatovac, eastern Croatia, before they can head toward Slovenia, the next step on their journey toward richer EU states, such as Germany or Sweden.
Across the border in Serbia, thousands of people have been sitting in some 50 buses since early hours Sunday waiting to cross to Croatia. More are expected to arrive during the day. "We are waiting here 4 hours on the bus," said Muhammad Samin from Afghanistan. "The weather is too cold. We wear lots of shirts. The children are also in the cold. No food." The United Nations refugee agency warned that Hungary's decision to close its border for migrants has increased their suffering and could lead to a backlog down the so-called Balkan route that goes from Turkey through Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia. Babar Baloch, regional spokesman for Central Europe for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said the new migrant route through Slovenia has significantly prolonged their already weeks-long journey.
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The move by Hungary is the latest example of Europe's still-disjointed response to the flow of people reaching its borders. The right-wing Hungarian government declared its southern border with Croatia closed to migrants, blocking entry with a metal fence and barbed wire, just as it did a month ago on the border with Serbia. Croatia instead directed migrants west to Slovenia, where officials said hundreds had arrived already with more on their way. Slovenia has said the migrants will be registered before continuing their journey to Austria and Germany, the preferred destinations of the vast majority of migrants, many of them Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war that has devastated their country.
Slovenia suspended rail traffic with Croatia, saying it needed "complete control" over the flow and has instead sent fleets of busses to the Croatian border. Aid agencies are concerned about backlogs of migrants building in the Balkans, with little shelter from autumn winds and rain as temperatures drop before winter. Hungary has insisted that it is duty-bound to protect the borders of the European Union from the migrants, most of whom are Muslims. Hungary says they threaten the prosperity, security and "Christian values" of Europe. Hungary, along with several other former-Communist members of the EU, oppose a plan by the bloc to share out 120,000 refugees among its members. That is a small proportion of the 700,000 migrants expected to reach Europe's shores by boat and dinghy from North Africa and Turkey this year.
A German government official, who declined to be named, was quoted by Reuters as saying the Hungarian border measures did little to solve the problem. "The measures run counter to our efforts to establish EU solidarity," he said. Slovenia, a small country of 2-million people, has pledged to allow in as many migrants as it is able to register and accommodate, and has put the army on standby to aid the effort. "At the moment there are no problems and no need to use the army, but it is right to have such a plan if needed," Interior Ministry state secretary Bostjan Sefic said at a news conference. Slovenia and Croatia have indicated that the migrants will be allowed to pass through both countries so long as Austria and Germany continue to keep their borders open. Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic warned of a "domino effect" of closed borders and migrant backlogs if either country closed its borders. "It will be a lot of trouble for all countries and I cannot predict what will happen in this situation," Ostojic told reporters at a migrant camp in the eastern Croatian village of Opatovac. "They are risking their lives and nobody is able to stop this flow ... without shooting," he added.
Slovenian army mobilised Croatia says migrants cannot be stopped without shooting
