Slovenia Aliens Act Proposal Worries Croatia

Slovenian plans to toughen its procedures for receiving refugees and asylum seekers worries activists and migrant experts in Croatia, where it is feared that the changes could cause additional problems.

Experts told BIRN that Slovenia's move would endanger the rights and security of refugees traveling to Western Europe along the "Balkan route" but would not end migration per se.

Milena Zajovic, from the Croatian NGO "Are You Syrious", told BIRN that asylum seekers and refugees will continue to cross the border between Slovenia and Croatia illegally. Stricter rules "won't change anything but will further lower the level of their lives and put their security at risk",  she said.

The Slovenian government backed an amendment to the existing Aliens Act on Thursday, introducing stricter procedures towards asylum seekers and refugees for a special six-month period - with a possible extension for another six months.

It is likely to be backed by the country's parliament in which the plan enjoys cross-party support.

Although the procedure would not apply to persons whose life is in danger if they are returned to their native countries, or unaccompanied minors, the provisions will empower police officers to refuse entry to most asylum seekers on the border.

Zajovic said Slovenia was trying to imitate recent moves by Hungary, which were unfortunately now being copied by the majority of countries on the "Balkan route", including Croatia, "where we have witnessed a lot of cases in which Croatian police deported refugees to Serbia without proper procedure".

She explained that people returned to Croatia from Slovenia and Austria usually find illegal ways to resume their journeys after turning to people smugglers.

Zajovic said it was...

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