There have been fears that Austria would close its border with Slovenia, following reports that it is planning to build a fence to “control” the refugee movement.
Advertisement
Greece already erected a barbed wire fence three years ago on a section of its border with Turkey not separated by a river.
Mikl-Leitner insisted that there were no plans “to build a fence around Austria”.
The EU’s Schengen passport-free area is cherished as one of its most important achievements and the Commission has repeatedly expressed concern that re-imposing border controls threatens its future.
In an interview with the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper, he accused Austria of failing to coordinate the influx of refugees at its borders with Bavaria.
Officials in Berlin say Germany isn’t to blame for the hardships facing asylum-seekers face at the country’s border with Austria.
“The number of refugees has risen very significantly in recent days because of a backlog on the Balkan route”, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maize said Wednesday, VOA News reported.
Refugees cross Germany into Austria, which as been a steady partner to Germany in moving asylum seekers along the “Western Balkans trail”. In the past few days, over 60,000 refugees have entered Slovenia, confirmed its administration, which cautioned that if the European Union doesn’t do something about the migrant crisis soon, the country will be overrun by refugees.
Though Austria’s intentions of a border-free European Union are noble, it has complained that Germany has been taking too few migrants, forcing other countries to take on a lot more.
Miro Cerar, speaking after a meeting of Slovenia’s national security council on Wednesday, says “if necessary, we are ready to put up the fence immediately”.
Slovenian police stepped in, pulling out a man who allegedly tried to cut a line of people waiting to cross into Austria.
Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner says Austria will build a fence along its border with Slovenia to slow the tide of migrants crossing into the country.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has favoured an open-door policy for those arriving in Germany, claiming Germany can cope, however the President of Bavaria has been critical of her asylum policy.
Merkel has said European countries have a duty to protect those who have a right to shelter, but also that all countries must share the burden.
Germany has informed European authorities that it will continue border checks for at least another two weeks amid the continued influx of refugees and other migrants.
“There is no fence with Hungary and no fence with Slovenia”, Fayman said later on Austria’s ORF TV channel.
Bavarian authorities had been critical of Vienna for failing to coordinate with them.
It is thought that Germany could take in up to one million asylum seekers.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras fiercely opposed the idea of creating what he called a “concentration camp” for 50,000 migrants in his country.
Advertisement
De Maiziere has also urged Afghans to stay and rebuild their wartorn country instead of coming to Europe.
