Migrant crisis: Thousands of new reception places agreed

“Despite deteriorating weather conditions, approximately 48,000 refugees and migrants crossed from Turkey to the Greek islands – or about 9,600 migrants and refugees in each of the past five days”, it said in a statement.

“Discouraging the movement of refugees or migrants to the border of another country of the region without informing neighbouring countries”.

He said the world saw refugees crossing freezing rivers.

On top of that, countries like Slovenia, which has a relatively small population of only 2 million people, saw 60,000 new migrants enter the country over the last week. “Between now and February 2016, and subject to funding being available, winter relief packages will be distributed to the most vulnerable”, Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said resolving the crisis mostly depends on Turkey, where most of the refugees enter Europe, and on Germany, the desired destination of the vast majority of Syrians and others seeking protection in Europe.

“But I’m sure that at least we understood each other and that we will be ready to take actions jointly in the future”, he said, adding he hoped countries could “overcome all the disputes and all the problems regarding blame games”. A few German politicians are questioning Merkel’s decision to accommodate more refugees. She said the Geneva Convention on refugees obliges Germany to protect people, “but we don’t have the task of keeping everyone here for life”.

The wave of migrants shows no sign of abating.

Croatia is one of the first countries to prepare for the winter months.

Cerar called on neighbour Croatia not to continue pushing migrants onward to Slovenia on their way to other countries in the EU.

The leaders agreed to rapidly dispatch 400 border guards to Slovenia as a short-term measure.

The surge of migrants across the Balkans on their way to Western Europe is continuing unabated just hours after an EU-sponsored agreement to slow the flow. “It’s as simple as that, and refugees have to know this”, he said, triggering applause from MEPs.

The Czechs routinely detain for weeks all the migrants who do not have proper documents – a practice repeatedly criticized by rights groups.

Drone footage highlights the scale and drama of the long flow of Middle Eastern refugees from one camp to another, after crossing the Croatia-Slovenia border. It is also mulling erecting a border fence. “Afghanistan is in the same situation as Syria…”

He says the government will share the expenses for their moving to the Czech Republic with NGOs.

The meeting came after Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia threatened to close their borders on Saturday. Ponta then called Iohannis “a deaf man at a dance”.

The heads of 11 European Union states and three non-EU countries met to discuss how to handle growing numbers of migrants. Germany will support this bilaterally.

An agreement was reached at the high-level meeting in Brussels on Sunday to temporary accommodate 100,000 refugees in the Balkans as Europe struggles to cope with the ongoing influx. The flow was diverted through the tiny Alpine country when Hungary closed its borders.

The European Union appealed to member countries on Tuesday to deliver on promises to deal with the refugee emergency, warning that the EU’s credibility is at stake.