Europe's Migrant Crisis: Latest Developments and Concerns

Strategic Insights -

The migrant crisis in Europe has reached unprecedented levels, with hundreds of thousands of refugees and other migrants passing through the continent on their way west. The situation remains volatile, with many countries struggling to cope with the influx of people and the challenges it poses.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Czech Republic is considering sending over 100 police officers and soldiers to help Hungary defend its European Union borders, a move that could lead to the deployment of troops from EU members guarding Hungary's borders with fellow EU member Croatia or with Serbia, a candidate to join the EU.
  • Germany's top security official, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, says authorities have found no cases of terrorists mixing into the flow of incoming migrants, but are looking into the risk of crime and elevated general criminality among refugees.
  • Finland estimates the number of people seeking asylum this year to be closer to 50,000, a significant increase from the earlier figure of 30,000, with the majority of applicants coming from Iraq.
  • The international Red Cross says vulnerable migrants in the Balkans are facing increasingly difficult conditions with the arrival of heavy rains and cold weather, posing severe health and safety risks.
  • Croatian police say the number of migrants who have entered the country since mid-September could reach 100,000 on Friday, with more expected by the end of the day and overnight.
  • The number of people seeking asylum in Hungary almost doubled in August as the government was building a razor-wire fence to stop migrants from entering the country from Serbia.
  • The U.N. refugee agency reports a noticeable drop in arrivals of refugees by sea into Greece, citing cooler and windier weather that makes the crossing from Turkey more dangerous.
  • Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, says his Croatian counterpart is an envoy of a global left-wing organization whose job is to attack Hungary, and that the migrants arriving are mostly young men who look like an army rather than asylum seekers.

Statistics:

  • 92,265 people applied for asylum in Hungary in August, a significant increase from 49,250 in July, bringing the total number of people seeking international protection to around 207,000 this year.
  • 396,500 people have entered Greece via the Mediterranean this year, with 70% of them being from Syria.
  • 250,000 migrants are estimated to have passed through Serbia since the beginning of the year.
  • 97,000 migrants have crossed into Croatia since mid-September.

Sources:

  • AP (Boris Grdanoski)
  • International Red Cross
  • Finnish Interior Ministry
  • Polish police
  • German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere
  • Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
  • Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic
  • U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR)
  • International Organization for Migration