An urgent meeting gathered on Sunday in Brussels heads of states and governments of 10 EU member-states (Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Luxemburg, Holland, Romania and Slovenia) with their colleagues from three non-EU countries (Albania, Macedonia and Serbia) to tackle the unprecedented migration pressure across the Balkans towards West Europe. The participants in the meeting contracted the implementation starting today of 17 measures for the restoration of peace along the EU borders and also for the slowing down of this uncontrolled inflow of people.

As many as 100,000 places for migrant accommodation are being created along the Balkan route, 50,000 of those in Greece. The number is not very optimistic, as 12,000 migrants entered Slovenia only in the course of the 24 hours, preceding the meeting. The idea for international loans with the purpose of coping with the immigrant pressure resulted in no optimism and Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov said firmly he was against it. An EU source admitted that decisions, concerning others had been taken at the meeting.

However, we can be optimistic too, as the EU mechanism for asylum, healthcare and food provision will be applied only to registered migrants and not to illegal immigrants. The idea is really urgent, in order for any control over the situation to be reached. Germany’s determination to readmit economic migrants also carries optimism, as it finally brings the feeling of a firmer approach, regarding the large scaled abuse of the democratic countries’ humane attitude.

The EC tries to calm the tensions in Brussels by introducing a concrete approach on collective decisions for the transit inflow across the Balkans. However, the reduced and diverse presence at the meeting barely scores a lot in this relation. Right before the start of the sitting three of the Balkan route states – Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia warned firmly that they wouldn’t allow their turning into a buffer zone for emigrants at the foot of the rich European countries.

The decision on the opening of 100,000 places for sheltering along the Balkan region leaves the impression that the EU meant exactly the creation of such a zone. On the other hand the trilateral meeting held in Sofia in advance didn’t exclude the option for the joining of other states within the migration dialogue. It became obvious in Brussels that there would be such candidatures.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resumed the results of the Sunday-held meeting like that: “at least we had a chance to talk a bit, but I am not sure that we will contract something useful in the near future.” At the same time Slovenian PM Miro Cerar warned that the lack of urgent and concrete field actions could entail the collapse of the EU in the next days or weeks.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev