Many migrants, however, notably South Asians who would be unlikely to qualify for asylum in the European Union, try to avoid registration or claiming asylum in Greece and move quickly north into Macedonia, heading for prosperous northwest Europe.
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As RTS reports, a large number of special unit policemen are arriving to the border and the military has prepared tear gas and water cannons, with armored vehicles already at the border.
Macedonia has been allowing only people arriving from war zones such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq to cross at its Gevgelija checkpoint opposite Idomeni as those migrants are typically granted asylum in the EU.
“We don’t have anything against the other people, but we have to cross too”, he told The Associated Press.
“That’s why we must speak about it now”, the source said, adding that the ministers would not vote on the issue on Friday. He would not give his surname for fear of reprisals for manning a roadblock. Many migrants also dodge the registration process or use fake papers sold by smuggling rings to make their way to Macedonia.
Skopje has sealed its border with a metal fence.
European Union diplomats, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, underlined that there is no provision in the Schengen rule book for kicking a country out or freezing its membership.
Frontex said it would help to register migrants at the Macedonian border and would deploy more personnel there next week.
“Such a recommendation may be adopted in exceptional circumstances to address a situation where a Schengen evaluation has identified persistent serious deficiencies relating to external border control”, said a draft of the proposal seen by AFP.
The boat was carrying a total of seven migrants, and the coast guard says three survivors were pulled from the sea after Thursday’s capsizing off the island of Farmakonissi. Authorities say the gang, based in Greece, is believed to have earned almost 10 million euros ($ 10.6 million) since 2013 by charging migrants for transportation, forged documents and housing.
Mouzalas says: “It’s true that our country has come under intense pressure from some European Union member countries who mistakenly believe that the refugee flow can be controlled from Greece”.
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“Greece is the start of the corridor”. The door is in Turkey.
