Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović assessed, commenting on the articles about flights with migrants, that Croatia is not and cannot become a hotspot for illegal migrants, adding that this morning the number of migrants in Croatia is around 650.
Speaking about the return of international protection seekers to Croatia, Božinović said that Germany announced 1,519 returnees this year, and 401 of them returned. another 344 by June next year, by commercial or charter flights.
“However, I expect that no more than fifty people will return to Croatia. And the figures that are discussed in the media are testimony to the non-functioning of the Dublin III regulation on seeking international protection, which was written for some other circumstances and some other times,” he pointed out, adding that it is a typical abuse of asylum.
He also said that the police have caught almost 300 smugglers this year and that 6,958 people have been returned from Croatia this year through the readmission system with neighboring countries.
”Our position from the very beginning has been that we cannot ignore the fact that this is being done about economic migrants who are trying to avoid positive EU regulations and go to countries that are their ultimate goal, using migrants,” he added.
Asked about the state’s plans for all these people, Božinović replied that there are plans that differ by pressure category. “That number will ultimately depend on how efficient we are at the external border,” the minister said, adding that this year the number of illegal border crossings has dropped by almost 60 percent compared to the previous year.
Asked about the failure of the Dublin III regulation, the minister specified that a small number of migrants arrive by plane to Sarajevo or Belgrade as tourists, after which they arrive near the border and try to organize their illegal crossing into Croatia.
Božinović: Suspects are housed in Ježevo until the asylum procedure is completed
For a much larger number of migrants, another country was the first EU country they entered, and these are usually Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, he added.
The minister also clarified what is happening with the 400 or so people who returned by plane.
“We, if it is clear that Croatia is the first EU country they entered, accept such requests. After they land, they are given the opportunity to go to the reception center Porin and possibly submit a new application for asylum. They have full freedom of movement and that is usually the only contact we have with them,” he said.
Božinović also said that the suspected persons are being accommodated in Ježevo, where they are staying until the asylum procedure is completed. Zoran Ničeno, the head of the border administration of the MUP, said that as a rule such requests are rejected and that they are deported from Croatia. Ničeno pointed out that “all this is abuse of the asylum system”.
He explained that migrants immediately request asylum, and some immediately book internal EU flights in order to quickly and without control come to Germany or other countries. He also added that some of them who return to Croatia start crossing the border to the west of the EU the very next day.
Minister Božinović went on to point out that the Croatian police prevented 70,000 illegal crossings at the border this year, clarifying that it is not about 70,000 people because some try to cross the border more than once.
When asked where the suspected migrants come from, Božinović specified that the vast majority are men from Syria and Afghanistan, but also that there were cases from Russia, China and Burundi, assessing that one cannot escape the geographical location.
