Slovenia to build fence on border with Croatia to control migrant surge

An AFP photographer near the Gibina border-crossing point in north-eastern Slovenia saw soldiers erecting rolls of razor wire to about shoulder-height across fields at the rate of around 100 metres (yards) per hour.

A day after the authorities warned of a “human catastrophe”, a convoy of army trucks carrying barbed wire and construction equipment arrived in Veliki Obrez, at the southern border with Croatia, at dawn Wednesday.

“We are not closing the border”, he added.

Mrs Merkel, speaking in Berlin, said Slovenia’s announcement underlined “the urgency with which we have to work towards a common European solution, and that means securing the external borders”.

The Slovenian farmer’s message reflects the general mood in the tiny Alpine state of just over 2 million people, confronted with Europe’s worst migrant crisis since World War II. European Union leaders were to hold a special summit in Malta later on Wednesday to try to iron out their differences.

Sebastian Kurz says that without such an approach Germany, Sweden and Austria – the first countries of choice for many refugees – will not be able to cope.

Cerar did not provide details about the length and exact location of the fence, but he emphasized that the border with Croatia “will remain open”. Over 390,000 migrants have entered Hungary this year, but the razor-wire fences guarded by police and military patrols have practically stopped the migrant flow through Hungary.

“If Serbia, Hungary, Macedonia, Slovenia, Austria and Bulgaria had the same thing, we could control every wave of refugees”, Mr Ostojic said, dismissing Mr Cerar’s fears about the latest “surge” from Greece. Their government announced Tuesday, November 10, 2015, that a fence will be put up to control the flow, although not completely to stop it.

Around 180,000 people, many fleeing war in Syria and Afghanistan, have entered Slovenia since mid October, majority heading north to Austria and then Germany.

“We estimate Slovenia will rather likely soon have to face a number of migrants that will be hard to manage”.

The controversial “laissez passer” plan has been criticized by diplomats and non-governmental organizations as being tantamount to Europe telling African countries who they should accept. It will be discussed later Wednesday by European and African leaders at a migration summit in Malta.

“The only objective of these obstacles, fences, is not to allow dispersion of immigrants”, he said, stressing the measure is temporary and “Slovenia will not close the border”.

Fourteen people died and a further 27 were rescued by Turkish authorities after their boat sank on its way to the Greek island of Lesbos, Dogan news agency reported on Wednesday. Divers were searching for more victims.