Serbia Fears Becoming Refugee 'Buffer Zone'

After Austria said it will refuse entry to migrants seeking to pass through to Scandinavia, Rados Djurovic, head of the Center for Protection and Help for Asylum seekers in Serbia, told BIRN that NGOs fear Serbia will become a refugee "buffer zone" for EU countries.

"Serbia is in the worst situation of all Balkan states. After Austria announced that it was refusing entry to migrants, which Slovenia and Croatia are now also implementing, Serbia could become a buffer zone for refugees," Djurovic said.

On Sunday Austria said it will now only accept refugees whose identity can be proven, who are seeking asylum in Austria or Germany and who do not represent a security risk and have no criminal record.

On Wednesday, Slovenia and Croatia did the same.

Serbia then said that in response to Austria's decision it will close its border with Macedonia to refugees not seeking asylum in Austria or Germany.

"Migrants who do not express a request for asylum seeking in the territory of Austria and Germany as of today will not be able to pass through the territory of Serbia," Aleksandar Vulin, Minister for Labour, Employment, and Social Issues, said on Wednesday.

Serbia's decision prompted Macedonia later that day to close its border with Greece.

Macedonian police confirmed to BIRN that they will let through only refugees from war-torn countries and who have documents from the Greek authorities that clearly state their final destination.

Robert Kozma, a member of the Group 484, an NGO that deals with asylum issues, told BIRN that the situation should not surprise anybody. "We should have seen it coming," he said.

Since the UNHCR does not recognize Macedonia as a "safe" country and since Hungary built a fence to keep out refugees,...