Slovenia began erecting a razor-wire fence at its border with Croatia on Wednesday to stem the flow migrants as winter closes in and countries to the north tighten border controls.
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The Slovenian prime minister, Miro Cerar, said on Tuesday the border would remain open, but the fence would help control the flow of people.
European and African leaders are converging on Malta for talks aimed at speeding the return of migrants who do not qualify for asylum and to address longer-term issues like poverty, climate change and conflict, which are forcing people to leave.
“We decided that on the border with Croatia we will introduce technical measures for protecting the border and barriers, including a fence”. European Union leaders are due to meet in Malta for a special migration summit later on Wednesday to try to iron out their differences.
The Baltic country of Slovenia sits astride the route migrants take from the war-torn Middle East to the southern border of the Schengen area, where they can travel passport-free throughout the European Union.
Since mid-October, over 170,000 migrants have entered Slovenia, equivalent to around 8% of the country’s population, the Slovenian government said. “The other countries have to take their responsibility”. But the government has so far not announced that it will limit the number of migrant entries.
The Slovenian military started to set up a barbed wire fence on the border with Croatia on Wednesday, media reports confirmed.
Croatia on Wednesday said Slovenia’s move was unnecessary and a waste of money. The decision has sparked criticism from Croatia, whose government has said that it will “protect national interests”.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the European Union rule requiring countries where asylum seekers first seek protection to examine the claims is obsolete and that Hungary would not accept responsibility for any of the refugees.
A month later, Hungary sealed its border with Croatia, since when nearly 180,000 migrants have been forced to cross Slovenia to reach Austria and Germany. The small Alpine nation says it is overwhelmed by the refugee surge. Divers were searching for more victims. Soldiers begun unwinding the wire and stretching it along the Slovenian side of the river Sutla that divides the two countries. The migrants’ nationalities were not immediately known. So far more than 2,600 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean, and horrific incidents including the death of 71 migrants found abandoned in a truck demonstrates that even the land routes are far from safe. Hundreds have died during the crossings, often in unseaworthy boats.
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Ayvacik is a main crossing point to the Greek island of Lesbos.
