Refugee crisis

Serbia won't close its borders to migrants, the country's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said.

Instead, Serbia will do its best to help migrants arriving at its borders, Vucic has said in an interview with German daily newspaper Handelsblatt, Serbian news agency Tanjug reported on Tuesday.

Greece said that the European Union had offered to pay the costs of housing 20,000 additional refugees in temporary camps on its islands as part of the EU’s efforts to manage the refugee flow. So far, more than 500,000 migrants have transited through Greece after a perilous Aegean Sea crossing from Turkey in their efforts to flee from Syria’s civil war.

Turkey has suggested a two-track plan to tackle the escalating international refugee crisis, including building entirely new cities for displaced people and founding an umbrella organization financed by all countries.

Three proposals to deal with the refugee crisis were put forth on the table during a mini-Summit of 10 EU leaders that had been called for by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The proposals

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Turkey on Oct. 18, only two weeks before the key parliamentary elections, was one of the most important diplomatic developments in regards to Ankara's accession process to the European Union. 

Refugees are piling up on the border between Croatia and Serbia, where around 3,500 were located at the border crossing at Berkasovo-Bapska on Wednesday morning.

Croatian police are allowing refugees to enter periodically in groups of between 50 and 100, transporting them to the nearby camp in Opatovac, where about 4,207 refugees are located at the moment.

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an claimed on Oct. 16 that the European Union had ?woken up too late? to Turkey?s importance in stemming the flow of refugees from Syria and accused it of ?insincerity? in talks on Turkish membership. 

Erdo?an said NATO member Turkey?s proximity to Syria and its key role in handling the refugee crisis had strengthened its case for EU membership. 

How many refugees, how many children must die before we all say enough is enough and deal with the refugee crisis.

The pictures shot by photojournalist George Moutafis for Reuters on yesterday’s refugee boat crash leaves us speechless.

Photos of men pulling out of the water the dead bodies of the children shock everyone.

European Council President Donald Tusk's warning to Turkey that it will only win concessions from the EU, such as fast-tracked travel visas, if it successfully reduces the flow of refugees reaching Europe has drawn reaction from the European Parliament. 

The European Union’s leaders meet for a summit in Brussels today with refugee issue on top of the agenda.