In Strasbourg, European Council president Donald Tusk warned Europe’s worst migration crisis since World War II risked triggering “tectonic changes”, as figures showed on Tuesday more than 700,000 newcomers reached the continent’s Mediterranean shores this year. Now those countries are considering their own border fences.
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“If the situation worsens and the Brussels action plan is not fulfilled, then Slovenia has several scenarios prepared, [including] the installation of a fence guarded by forces”, said Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec. “There are very, very many asylum applicants, but there are 80 million of us”, she told residents of Nuremberg, Bavaria, on Monday, according to local media.
Migrants walk along a road after crossing the border between…
Austria, a strong critic of fences built to cope with Europe’s migrant influx, on Wednesday announced it is joining other nations that have either already erected border barriers or are planning to do so.
In separate comments to the state broadcaster ORF, she spoke of the need for a fence to maintain public order. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced that, while Syrian citizens are mostly accepted, numerous Afghans pouring into the country will likely be sent back to their homeland. Defense Minister Gerald Klug says containers or railings could be set up to “be able to control the refugees in an orderly way”.
Austria’s Mikl-Leitner – who last week said it was time to build “fortress Europe” – pointed the finger at Germany, saying border police there processed too few migrants and criticising Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy. Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer has accused the Austrian government of wantonly shuttling migrants in buses from the Slovenian border across Austria and dumping them at all hours of day and night at the border to Germany. A few transit countries have been seeking to limit the influx, leading to bottlenecks and tensions with neighbours.
“President Juncker called on Chancellor Faymann to work closely together with the Commission and UNHCR to ensure that the 50,000 objective is reached as soon as possible, including by means of an Austrian contribution”, the statement said. “Let everybody speak, even if you totally disagree with them”.
“People, whatever their view, who behave that way limit freedom for all of us”, the leaders added.
In Sweden, the country’s immigration agency said it will discontinue publicizing the location of refugee housing facilities after more than 20 fires, many considered arsons.
The United States and its allies have also been carrying out air strikes in Syria against Islamic State, and have supported opposition groups fighting Assad.
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Uhr says it hasn’t yet decided how to do that.
