Summary
We are going to pause the blog for now, so here’s a summary of the latest key developments:
- Croatian police blocked off part of the country’s border with Serbia, leaving more than 2,000 refugees straned in no man’s land between the Croatian village of Tovarnik and the Serbian town of Šid. The development marks the first time Croatia has attempted to stop refugees from entering its territory since it became the primary refugee route to northern Europe last week.
- Europe’s interior ministers are meeting in Brussels for what are expected to be difficult talks on the imposition of refugee quotas. Germany’s Interior minister Thomas de Maizière said: “This will be a hard meeting. I’m not sure that we will have a result ... it is unacceptable if Europe sends a message to the world that today there is no possible solution.”
- A war of words between central Europe’s leaders worsened after Croatia announced that 35,000 people crossed its border a week after Hungary closed its frontier with Serbia. Hungary said its relations with Croatia were at “freezing point”, as it continued to accept migrants bused back to Hungary’s border by Croatia.
- Serbia’s prime minister, Aleksandar Vucic, demanded EU action against Croatia if it its border restrictions continue. He said: “Croatia cannot be taking it out on Serbia and humiliating it, and destroying Serbia’s economy without consequences.”
- The German rail operator Deutsche Bahan suspended key services to and from Austria and Hungary until 4 October. German Chancellor Angela Merkel repeated her opposition to building Hungary’s policy of building more fences.
- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed alarm about the increased use of detention and criminalisation of irregular migrants and asylum seekers. Ban appealed to all European leaders to show leadership and compassion.
Updated
Once again Britain has said it won’t take part in any EU-wide resettlement programme for refugees.
But that didn’t stop Home Secretary Theresa May hectoring her European colleagues on how to treat “illegal economic migrants.”
Arriving at the meeting of EU interior ministers, she said: “We need to get on with the job of the wider measures that need to be taken of ensuring that we are breaking the link for economic migrants of making this dangerous journey and settling in Europe. So we need to return those people who are illegal economic migrants and who have no right to be here and we need to ensure that people arriving at Europe’s borders are being properly dealt with, properly fingerprinted, so that decisions can be made, and where there are economic migrants they can be returned.”
French police used CS spray on Syrian refugees who refuse to walk to a ghettoised part of Calais known as the Jungle. Many of those affected fall to the ground, with one man appearing to lose consciousness. Freelance journalist Carmen Menendez, who captured the footage on Monday morning, says all of the refugees recovered.
Several hundred asylum-seekers camped out near the Turkey’s border with Greece, are refusing to move despite appeals from local officials.
Hundreds of migrants made the journey to Edirne in the hope of being allowed to cross into neighbouring Greece. Many arrived last week but have been blocked from approaching the border by the security forces.
Local governor has come, imploring the #refugees to leave. But they're refusing to budge. A defiant response. #Edirne pic.twitter.com/uCY4Lw53l8
— Mark Lowen (@marklowen) September 22, 2015
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeated her opposition to building Hungary’s policy of building more fences.
Speaking after meeting her Finnish counterpart she said: “We are learning in this refugee situation that we are all connected to each other and our lives are affected if terrible things happen elsewhere.
“We will not be able to change that by building fences ... only by fighting the causes.”
The war of words in central Europe continues. The latest volley comes from Croatia’s prime minister Zoran Milanovic who has urged Serbia to “send refugees in other directions too”.
Earlier his Serbian counterpart urged Croatia to lift border restrictions by 2pm.
Milanovic said that Belgrade should send some of the refugees to Hungary or Romania, AP reports.
Hungary said its relations with Croatia were at “freezing point”.
Hungary continues to build a new border fence with Croatia.
Here's where #Hungary is extending its border barricade - more #refugees crossing nearby #Croatia pic.twitter.com/fxo8In5Yso
— anna holligan (@annaholligan) September 22, 2015
German rail services from Austria and Hungary suspended
The German rail operator Deutsche Bahan has announced the
suspension of key services to and from Austria and Hungary until 4 October.
In a statement it said that due to the border controls, “the long-distance routes of Deutsche Bahn will be suspended, initially until 4 October 4, 2015, between Munich-Salzburg (Austria) and Budapest (Hungary)“
Germany’s Interior minister Thomas de Maizière predicted a difficult meeting on the EU resettlement proposals. Arriving at the talks in Brussels, he said: “This will be a hard meeting. I’m not sure that we will have a result. We will work hard and I think it is unacceptable if Europe sends a message to the world that today there is no possible solution. So in the end I’m optimistic, but it is not done yet.”
Here’s video, with English subtitles, of a belligerent speech about immigration by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Speaking to Parliament he said: “They are overrunning us. They’re not just banging on the door, they’re breaking the door down on top of us. Our borders are in danger, our way of life built on respect for the law, Hungary and the whole of Europe is in danger.
“Europe hasn’t just left its door open but has sent open invitation... Europe is rich but weak, this is the worst combination, Europe needs to be stronger to defend its borders.”
Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s foreign minister and minister for immigration, sounded upbeat on his way into the talks in Brussels.
On Monday he said there were still “a few problems to solve”. But today he said “very hard work” had gone into agreeing a draft text before the meeting. He said the draft text would have a “very positive influence” on all the delegates and should form the basis of an agreement.
The EU Migration’s Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said today’s meeting was the time for EU ministers to “show we really mean it when we talk about responsibility and solidarity.”
He said the current crisis was “an existential issue” for Europe.
Updated
Hungary’s foreign minister says relations with Croatia are at “freezing point” over the refugee crisis, AP reports.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said it was easier for Croatia to quickly transport migrants to the border with Hungary instead of caring for them themselves. He said bilateral affairs could improve “if there are elections in Croatia and the new government thinks it wants to improve this relationship.”
Szijjarto said while Hungary had done everything possible to register 230,000 migrants this year, it had failed in some cases because of the aggressive behaviour of some migrants and EU rules making it hard to enforce registration.
Refugees and migrants are being allowed into Hungary from Croatia as troops in armoured vehicles look on, according to NBC’s Bill Neely.
Refugees walk past Hungarian troops & armor from Croatia, then body searched by police. Welcome to Hungary. pic.twitter.com/BUFovWMSAo
— Bill Neely (@BillNeelyNBC) September 22, 2015
Last week, the Hungarian authorities reported a sharp drop in the number of new arrivals after Hungary sealed its border with Serbia. But since Croatia began bussing arrivals from Serbia to Croatia’s border with Hungary the number of new arrivals in Hungary has shot up again.
Updated
The OECD predicts that one million people could request asylum in Europe this year.
Launching its migration outlook and brefing, the OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said:
“European leaders need to step up to the challenge so that Europe as a whole emerges stronger economically, socially and politically. Europe has the experience and the capacity to respond.”
“The human cost of this refugee crisis is appalling and countries need to quickly agree a fair allocation of refugees within Europe, and ensure that such vast numbers of troubled people receive shelter, food and support. It’s essential that they also address the medium and long-term policy responses to this crisis. An emerging challenge will be the integration of the many new refugees who will remain in European host countries. We need to scale-up and adapt programmes so that refugees can integrate as quickly as possible in their new homes and make best use of their skills. We should all remember that migration is not a liability, but an asset.”
A week since Hungary sealed its border with Serbia, almost 35,000 migrants and refugees have entered Croatia, the authorities in Zagreb have announced.
They include 2,400 people overnight, Croatia’s interior ministry said.
In a statement it said: “Organised migrant transport to the state border is still in effect and there are approximately 1,630 migrants at the Opatovac Temporary Admission Centre. The largest migrant arrival is still expected in the Tovarnik and Ilok area.”
“Yesterday approximately 5,100 migrants left Croatia while a further 1,160 migrants departed Croatia befor 9am this morning.”
It confirmed that the border crossing at Bajakovo is closed for freight traffic, causing 20km tailbacks.
35,000 #refugees entered Croatia by 9am http://t.co/iWCb9yk195 6,200 already left Opatovac tent settlement for Hungary. #refugeecrisis
— Vlada R. Hrvatske (@VladaRH) September 22, 2015
Updated
Interior ministers are due to arrive any moment now in Brussels for those crunch talks on binding refugee quotas at the Justice and Home Affairs Council.
The European Council has a live feed of the arrivals at the meeting.
Hungary’s parliament has passed a resolution calling on Hungary to “defend itself by every necessary means” against “waves to illegal immigration.”
It said: “We cannot allow illegal migrants to endanger the jobs and social security of the Hungarian people. We have the right to defend our culture, language, and values.”
It blamed current crisis on the EU and urged Brussels to “defend Europe and its citizens.”
It added: “We call on the Hungarian government to gather the necessary financial resources and establish such legal requirements in which Hungary may defend itself by every necessary means.”
Csaba Molnar, a Hungarian MEP, who opposes the Fidesz government of Vitkor Orban, described the motion as “shameful.”
In a letter to European parliament he said: “As Mr Orban and its radical Fidesz see a free-fall in opinion polls, the current Hungarian government is trying everything to distract the attention of Hungarian people from their everyday problems by embracing both the rhetoric and issues championed by the far-right Jobbik party.”
The overnight arrival of 2,500 refugees across Croatia’s border with Serbia, caught the Croatian authorities by surprise according to Ralf Gruenert from the UNHCR.
Speaking to the BBC at the Opatovac transit camp in Croatia Gruenert was asked to explain why refugees have been involved in scuffles with the Croatian authorities. He said: “The reason is that the refugees are extremely anxious to leave as soon as possible, to northern European countries ... they fear there may be changes in politics and border crossings.”
They are waiting for trains or buses to the Hungarian border, he said.
The EU plan to resettle 120,000 refugees, which being resisted by many states including Britain and several countries in central Europe, doesn’t go far enough according to the UN’s refugee agency
“A relocation programme alone, at this stage in the crisis, will not be enough to stabilise the situation,” UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told Reuters.
UNHCR was no longer expecting a mandatory quota of relocation spaces allocated between EU countries, which it had hoped for, but urged EU leaders to back the 120,000 places as an emergency response, on top of 40,000 places for refugees who have arrived in Greece and Italy.
The new figure of 120,000 represents only 20 days of the daily average of 6,000 arrivals. Fleming said the UNHCR, which had called for an initial 200,000 places, expected the EU proposal would need to be expanded in the future.
Serbia issues border ultimatum to Croatia
Tension is mounting at Serbia’s border with Croatia where migrants and asylum seekers are demanding to be allowed to continue their journey, as Serbia set a deadline for the crossing to be opened.
At one side of Opatovac camp, migrants are queuing up to enter. On the other side they're desperate to leave. pic.twitter.com/WbiXafB4WS
— Ron Brown (@ronbrown01) September 22, 2015
Serbia’s prime minister, Aleksandar Vucic, demanded EU action against Croatia if the border is not opened by 2pm.
The news agency Tanjug quoted him saying: “We are waiting for the EU to react by 14:00 hours, and then Serbia will react calmly, without violating regulations, but will show that Croatia cannot be taking it out on Serbia and humiliating it, and destroying Serbia’s economy without consequences.”
Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic accused Serbia of “sending refugees to Croatia instead of to Hungary in an organised manner,” and added his country was ready to completely shut down the Bajakovo-Batrovci border crossing with Serbia - “if necessary.”
Meanwhile, the Croatian media is not reporting any border closures to refugees, according to a Guardian contributor in Croatia.
Updated
Hungary deploys military vehicles
Military vehicles have been seen heading for Hungary’s borders a day after it gave the army the power to use non-lethal force on migrants.
Three Hungarian military Humvees with gun mounts headed to main crossing for refugees from Croatia @Channel4News pic.twitter.com/tJZ3eoXBsG
— Jonathan Miller (@millerC4) September 22, 2015
Just crossed Croatia border into Hungary near Beremen and this is what greeted us! @Channel4News pic.twitter.com/JmdjjroJiG
— Jonathan Miller (@millerC4) September 22, 2015
Updated
Croatia’s prime minister Zoran Milanovic has joined Hungary in accusing Greece of failing to control its borders.
Milanovic’s criticism of Greece is one of the only points of agreement between Croatia and Hungary which have been bickering over the crisis since Hungary decided to build a fence between the two countries.
On Monday’s Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto urged Greece to stop treating Europeans as “idiots” and start taking “meaningful steps to protect its border and register migrants.”
But he also described Croatia’s response as “pathetic”.
Milanovic said he was “proud” of Croatia’s response, according to a English translation of a TV interview released by the Croatian government. He insisted Croatia had proved itself as a modern, civilised, humane and well-organised country.
In recent days Croatia’s frontier with Serbia had become the main entry-point to the EU for thousands of people walking north from Greece. But more than 2,000 refugees were stranded overnight in no-man’s-land between the Croatian village of Tovarnik and the Serbia town of Šid, medics on the scene told the Guardian. A few people are gradually being allowed through the border, but the development nevertheless marks the first time that Croatia has attempted to stop refugees from entering its territory since the country became the primary refugee route to northern Europe last week. After Hungary shut its southern border a week ago, refugees swerved westwards through Croatia, and for several days Croatian police let tens of thousands to enter through this particular crossing point. They were then allowed wait inside the first train station over the border. But with Croatia struggling to process them fast enough, its officials are now keeping people outside the country’s borders until space frees up inside. Ahmed Twaij, a British doctor who has driven flown to the border to help the aid effort, said that the refugees are now stuck between two lines of border-police, with journalists barred from joining them. “At the back-end you have the Serbian police, and at the front end you have the Croatian police,” said Twaij by telephone. “The situation here is dire. We have women and children crying because they’re scared and confused.”
Updated
Scuffles have broken out between Croatian police and asylum-seekers after they were barred from entering a newly opened reception centre, AP reports.
Troubles started at the camp Tuesday, when more migrants came to the gates than authorities could handle. Police in the Croatian village of Opatovac pushed people back from the front gate, asked them to sit down and to wait their turn.
Croatia set up a migrant reception operation to try to bring order to the unrelenting chaos that has gripped since last Tuesday when Hungary sealed its border with Serbia.
Earlier the Croatia government confirmed that a large crowd of people had gather in Opatovac.
A bigger crowd of #refugees gathered on the entrance to Opatovac tent settlement this morning. #refugeecrisis pic.twitter.com/WOWJiIKkkl
— Vlada R. Hrvatske (@VladaRH) September 22, 2015
Riot police were deployed to the area on Monday.
Riot police move at Opatovac transit camp in Croatia - migrants are restless, some want to walk out of camp pic.twitter.com/rAxjw9BTpd
— Ben Brown (@BenBrownBBC) September 21, 2015
Campaigners have urged European leaders to stop building more barriers and quibbling over quotas and instead come up with a coordinated response that offers refugees proper protection.
Amnesty International and the UN’s refugee agency have both said this week’s EU meetings are critical.
Amnesty’s Europe director , John Dalhuisen, warned that humanity was being eroded in the chaotic response offered so far. He said:
“Failure is not an option. EU leaders must reach agreement on an organized and compassionate response to the arrivals of refugees and asylum seekers to Europe. Some solutions are on the table, what is missing is the political will and leadership to see them through. EU leaders have to show leadership and face the crisis head on; not build more barriers and carry on quibbling over quotas.”
“In the absence of an agreed collective response we have witnessed thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers being pushed from pillar to post, without even their basic needs being met. This isn’t migration management; it’s an erosion of humanity.”
The UNHCR echoed this message.
Critical to reach common solution for Europe & #refugees - Fate of 1000s incl. these in SE Croatia this AM at stake pic.twitter.com/IEfyeVmGIT
— Adrian Edwards (@AdrianEdwrds) September 22, 2015
Peter Sutherland, the UN Secretary General’s special representative for migration, suggested that member states should be threatened with expulsion if they failed to agree to binding quotas.
The first thing the EU should do now is to help the front line States Lebanon turkey and Jordan by accepting resettlement of refugees.
— Peter Sutherland (@PDSutherlandUN) September 21, 2015
The second thing is all the MS should be reminded strongly that membership of the EU requires common values and internal solidarity
— Peter Sutherland (@PDSutherlandUN) September 21, 2015
Common values require that asylum be given to refugees rather than meeting them with barbed wire and teargas
— Peter Sutherland (@PDSutherlandUN) September 21, 2015
Germany’s vice chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, has been high-fiving refugees on a visit to Jordon’s Zaatari camp.
"Give me Five": #Gabriel mit Flüchtlingskind im UN-Lager Zaatari #dpaReporter @dpa pic.twitter.com/gYtanrW1ft
— Tim Braune (@BrauneTim) September 22, 2015
A binding quota system for resettling refugees across Europe could be forced through under a qualified majority vote, according to one of the architects of the plan.
Labour MEP Claude Moraes, chair of a committee which pushed the idea of through European parliament last week, said today’s meeting of EU interior ministers “should signal the beginning of the end of paralysis.”
Speaking on BBC’s Radio 4’s Today programme he said countries resisting the idea could be forced to accept some refugees or face financial penalties.
He said it was “appalling” that EU ministers failed to agree on the idea earlier this month.
He added: “The EU is not signalling an organised and compassionate response, so if qualified majority voting has to happen today then it will happen. But I think those countries who are blocking any sort of progress ... they will take some symbolic numbers or they will take some sort of financial penalty. If they don’t do that we are going to have chaotic scenes [and] ... no organised and compassionate response at all.”
Moraes said the number of 120,000 refugees being resettled under the plan was already out of date, as thousands more migrants and refugees arrive in Europe.
He said: “We have to begin the relocation process because if you don’t get people out of these areas, like the Hungarian Serbian border, out of Croatia, what is happening then is that people just receive panic [and] you have the humanitarian problems of course ...
“It can be done, but at the moment with lots of countries blocking even that initial progress we won’t have it. Today should signal the beginning of the end of paralysis. But it has been a painful slow process to get to this.”
Updated
Summary
Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the refugee crisis as EU interior ministers are due to hold talks about binding refugee quotas in the face of resistance to the idea from central European states.
Here’s a summary of the latest developments:
- Central and eastern European leaders have defied attempts by Brussels and Berlin to impose refugee quotas ahead of two days of high-stakes summits in Brussels to try to decide on what already looks like a vain attempt to limit the flow of refugees and migrants into Europe. The Czech government wrote to Brussels arguing that compulsory quotas were illegal and that it could take the issue to the European court of justice , while the anti-immigration Hungarian government brought in new laws authorising the army to use non-lethal force against refugees massing on its borders.
-
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed alarm about the increased use of detention and criminalisation of irregular migrants and asylum seekers. Ban appealed to all European leaders to show leadership and compassion.
- Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban has defended his hardline approach by Europe’s borders are threatened by migration. He said immigrants are “not just banging on the door, they’re breaking the doors down on top of us. Our borders are under threat. Hungary is under threat and so is the whole of Europe.”
-
More than 100 rabbis have urged David Cameron to accelerate and expand proposals for the UK to take in refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria, reminding the prime minister of those who welcomed Jews fleeing the Nazis last century.
The group calls on the British government to offer asylum to a minimum of 10,000 “legitimate refugees” in the next six months. - Austrian police have said nearly 10,000 refugees and migrants arrived on Monday. Most came through the Nickelsdorf crossing with Hungary where they were moved on to shelters, according to the BBC’s Bethany Bell.
Updated
