The migrant issue

The worsening humanitarian crisis of the refugees fleeing wars in the Middle East is high on the agenda of the UN General Assembly and also of the government in Bucharest.

Valentin Țigău, 20.09.2016, 13:59

Humanitarian crises caused by conflicts in the Middle East are deepening and causing increasing concern worldwide. Such conflicts have triggered mass migration such as that towards Europe, which in 2015 saw over one million refugees and migrants. Romania has so far been spared that extreme phenomenon.

This country has not been on the refugees’ route towards the West, neither has it been a favourite destination. Things are changing though, because, on the one hand, some of those routes have been closed and on the other hand, countries in Europe have agreed to share the burden and take over some of the refugees who made it to the West.

Anyway, the border police and the General Inspectorate for Immigration have cautioned against the mounting pressure at Romania’s borders, particularly on the Danube, a river that has unfortunately turned into a death trap for some of those refugees.

Incidents involving groups of refugees brought in by Serbian guides have been reported almost on a daily basis at Romania’s western borders. But who are those immigrants and what is their new route towards the West? Here is Petre Nicola, spokesman for the Territorial Inspectorate of the Border Police in Timisoara.

Petre Nicola: “Migrants are generally of Afro-Asian descent and their main destinations are countries in Western Europe, via Serbia-Romania-Hungary. According to their statements, they are seeking a better standard of living in those countries and are only transiting Romania.”

Either using the Bulgarian or the Serbian route, those migrants are trying to make it to Hungary via Romania in order to avoid border barriers set up by Hungary, says Catalin Bercaru, project manager with the International Organisation for Migration.

Catalin Bercaru: “Figures have started to increase in terms of illegal migration, which is only natural, because when a wall is set up in a place, migrants will obviously try to find another route to avoid it.”

Under the circumstances the latest immigration statistics have caused increased concern with the authorities in Bucharest, as Fabian Badila, spokesman for the Border Police admits.

Fabian Badila: “Since the beginning of the year until now, surveillance and control operations carried out by my colleagues from the border police have revealed that 670 foreign nationals have been involved in the phenomenon of illegal migration.”

These days migration is also high on the agenda of the UN General Assembly, which has convened in its first session on that issue. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council is to address the Assembly on behalf of the EU on Wednesday and will be participating in a series of sessions on the refugee and migrant issue.

Romania is represented by Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos accompanied by Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu. The Romanian Foreign Minister on Sunday delivered a speech during a UN session underscoring the importance of international cooperation in managing that phenomenon, arguing that emphasis must be laid on addressing the causes of the phenomenon.