Balkan route closed to migrants

The Balkan route used by thousands of refugees across Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia to richer Western Europe has closed.

THE ROAD TO GERMANY FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANTS:

* FROM TURKEY TO GREECE

Many refugees start the journey after they've made it to Turkey, from where they must make the dangerous water crossing of the Aegean Sea.

* FROM GREECE TO MACEDONIA

At least 13,000 migrants remain massed in a camp at the border town of Idomeni in Greece. Officials until recently waved refugees on through to Macedonia. That changed on February 18 when countries along the route - excluding Greece - agreed to only allow passage for Syrians and Iraqis, granting them a document that secured passage. Movement came to a halt on March 9, when Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia said they will not allow any more migrants to pass.

* FROM MACEDONIA TO SERBIA

The border between Macedonia and Serbia, 200km north of Idomeni, remains without a fence, as only refugees with papers issued at Macedonia reach the camps in Tabanovce and in Presevo, on the Serbian side.

* FROM SERBIA TO HUNGARY

Initially the preferred route for refugees took them through Hungary. That stopped when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ordered a fence to be built along the 175km border with Serbia and sealed it in mid-September. Since then, the flow of migrants has headed to Slovenia through Croatia.

* FROM CROATIA TO SLOVENIA

Slovenia set a daily cap of 500 migrants on February 25.

* FROM SLOVENIA TO AUSTRIA

Austria lets in only 80 people a day, and only those who can claim they need protection. A further 3200 are allowed to transit the country to apply for asylum elsewhere.

* FROM AUSTRIA TO GERMANY

Germany has carried out checks at its border with Austria since September.


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Source: AAP


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