Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland have called for Europe’s borders to be sealed off in order to block the main migrant route used by refugees.
The four countries are known as the Visegrad Group for their historic allyship and have been vocal about their opposition to migration and refugees. They have also resisted attempts to distribute asylum seekers amongst European countries using quotas.
At a conference yesterday, the countries’ leaders met and vowed to present a united front in attempts to shut the Balkan route, Euractiv reports.
They also called for an alternative plan to stop refugees at Greece’s borders with Macedonia and Bulgaria, in what is known as a ‘back up border’, in the event of the Balkan route block proving ineffective.
Greece has been criticised by other European countries for their perceived inability to enforce border controls, resulting in growing tensions internationally. On Friday, EU member states issued a three-month ultimatum to Greece to tighten up controls or else face exclusion from the Schengen zone which enables people to travel between European countries without a passport.
