Background
It seems that the media is not as interested anymore in the refugee situation. Since the beginning of this year about 500.000 refugees have made it to Germany (mostly) after leaving from Turkey or Greece and crossing Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, and Austria. To start with, they were ‘amateurs,’ i.e. having to improvise in order to see what will happen: they walked long days, they took public transportation, they slept in parks and un-used buildings, they stopped along the way to break down the journey. In the last 2-3 weeks, almost none of this happens. There are now available buses to transport them – and they cost a lot of money for crossing Macedonia and Serbia, up to 3,000 euros – until they arrive at the border with Serbia-Croatia (in Sid area) where a Transition Center was quickly organized. None are stopping in major cities or so. The only walking they do is a few hundred meters to the next country, where a bus is waiting for them. At this border crossing, about 5,000 refugees are processed daily (quick identity and health check). In maximum three hours they are again on a bus, this time provided by European Union, to Hungary, and from there on a train to Germany. Some 50% of these refugees are from Syria, while 30% from Afghanistan and 20% from Pakistan and other countries – according to the Transition Center director we spoke with. One would have expected that the influx will diminish, due to the rainy weather, but it has not, instead they got more organized in terms of transport so that they won’t need to be outside. The volatile spots are the borders, especially Macedonia and Serbia, where a new form of transportation needs to be paid for, but also Croatia and beyond, where check-ups and health issues might impede their desire to arrive quicker in Germany. Continue reading “Short Report about the Conference on the Refugee Situation and How Should Romanians Respond”
Persona 