Croatia can no longer carry the burden of the thousands of refugees and migrants who have entered in recent days, its prime minister has said, as he announced a new policy of moving people on, instead of registering and accommodating them in accordance with EU rules.
More than 13,000 people have entered Croatia from Serbia since Wednesday, following the closure of Hungary’s Serbian border. Croatia has closed seven of its eight road border crossings with Serbia, though people are continuing to enter through the countryside.
Zoran Milanović, the Croatian PM, told a news conference: “We cannot register and accommodate these people any longer. They will get food, water and medical help, and then they can move on. The European Union must know that Croatia will not become a migrant hotspot.”
In an echo of the language adopted by David Cameron earlier this month, he added: “We have hearts, but we also have heads.” » | Matthew Weaver and agencies | Friday, September 18, 2015
