Refugees keep coming as Merkel urges action
German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a press conference on September 23, 2015 in Brussels. Thousands of refugees streamed through the Balkans on September 24, 2015 as the German Chancellor warned after an emergency summit that Europe still had to get to grips with its biggest post-war refugee crisis. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- Hungarian police announced 10,046 migrants, a new daily record, had arrived on Wednesday from Croatia, while Austrian authorities said on Thursday that 8,100 had entered from Hungary in the previous 36 hours.
- Migrants, many from war-torn Syria, are pouring through the Balkans on a zig-zag trek to northern Europe, particularly Germany, which they see as a beacon of stability and prosperity.
- In tit-for-tat moves overnight, Croatia and Serbia further restricted traffic at the last major crossing point still open between them, Tanjug news agency reported in Belgrade.
BUDAPEST
Thousands of refugees streamed through the Balkans Thursday as German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned after an emergency summit that Europe still had to get to grips with its biggest post-war refugee crisis.
French officials meanwhile said a young African was killed by a Channel Tunnel train while trying to get to Britain, the latest of thousands of deaths this year of people desperate to start a new life in Europe.
Hungarian police announced 10,046 migrants, a new daily record, had arrived on Wednesday from Croatia, while Austrian authorities said on Thursday that 8,100 had entered from Hungary in the previous 36 hours.
STABILITY AND PROSPERITY
But Budapest is planning to seal its border with Croatia as early as this weekend or the beginning of next week, according to government sources quoted by Hungarian news websites.
Migrants, many from war-torn Syria, are pouring through the Balkans on a zig-zag trek to northern Europe, particularly Germany, which they see as a beacon of stability and prosperity.
The previous record in Hungary was set on September 14, when 9,380 migrants crossed just before the country effectively sealed its border with Serbia with razor wire.
A NEW RECORD
That closure — and subsequent clashes with riot police on the border — led thousands of migrants to enter Croatia, quickly overwhelming authorities who then started bussing them to the Hungarian frontier.
On Tuesday almost 9,000 migrants entered Croatia, also a new high. Over the last week, more than 44,000 refugees have entered the country from non-EU Serbia.
That influx has fuelled tensions between the two countries. In tit-for-tat moves overnight, Croatia and Serbia further restricted traffic at the last major crossing point still open between them, Tanjug news agency reported in Belgrade.
BOOSTING AID
European Union leaders agreed at their summit early Thursday to boost aid for Syria’s neighbours — home to millions of refugees fleeing years of civil war and the ravages of Islamic State extremists — to stop them coming to Europe.
The leaders agreed to mobilise an additional one billion euros ($1.12 billion) for the UN refugee agency and the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as more help for Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Balkan countries.
The run-up to the summit had seen major divisions open in the 28-nation bloc, especially between western and former communist eastern members.
