The scenario that migrant ships would come to Croatian ports is not realistic, because that is in breach of international law, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic in Brussels on Thursday, ahead of the two-day EU summit where the main topic will be migration.
“You know that, under international law, the ships carrying undocumented migrants should be directed to the nearest port as soon as they are spotted. These are international obligations and I don’t see how that scenario would be realistic,” Plenkovic said, commenting on the possibility that ships carrying migrants start docking in Croatia’s ports.
Opposition Social Democrat MP Ranko Ostojic criticised the government yesterday, saying that Croatia did not have a migrant policy and was unprepared of a potential migrant crisis. He added that it was only a matter of time before migrant ships come to Croatia.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that it could be impossible to reach consensus during this summit on the issues of migration and asylum seekers, adding that it was necessary to find solution with those countries who were willing to enter bilateral agreements.
When asked whether Germany contacted the Croatian government on the issue, Plenkovic said there were diplomatic contacts, but without any concrete deals.
“We’re talking about improving the seven legal proposals related to the revision of the Dublin Resolution. Under that resolution it is possible to sign bilateral agreements which would enable better cooperation between EU member states regarding secondary migration,” Plenkovic said.
EU leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday ahead of one of the most complex summits in the last years over tensions surrounding the issue of migrations, trade disputes with the United States, and the need for further reforms of the euro zone.
Migrations are expected to take centre stage at the summit, although illegal entry figures have dropped by 95 percent compared to the height of the EU migrant crisis in October 2015, thanks to a series of measures implemented to slow down the migrant flow.
Tensions between Germany and Italy have surfaced over the issue, because the anti-establishment right coalition government in Rome is claiming that Berlin is only interested in secondary migrations within the EU, and is not involved enough in easing the pressure on the EU’s external borders.
The European Council President Donald Tusk said in his invitation letter to the EU leaders that a “precondition for a genuine EU migration policy is that Europeans effectively decide who enters European territory.”
“Failure to achieve this goal would in fact be a manifestation of our weakness, and above all, it could create the impression that Europe does not have an external border. The people of Europe expect us – and they have done for a long time now – to show determination in our actions aimed at restoring their sense of security.
Tusk warned that indecisiveness leads to the rise of populist movements, which offer easy solutions to complex problems.
There is consensus among member states that external borders need to be protected, but they are nowhere near reaching an agreement on secondary migrations. Migrants move through EU member countries trying to reach their final destination, usually Germany.
Croatian Prime Minister said he expected a long and complex debate.
“Croatia’s stance is that we should move towards the realisation of the second part of the EU-Turkey deal, meaning (fulfilling) EU’s financial obligations, and we support additional funding for African countries,” Plenkovic said.
“Improving the external dimension of migration policy is what is most important at the moment, stricter external border controls are key to Croatia because if the external borders are protected there will be fewer and fewer attempts to illegally enter our territory,” he added.
He concluded that it was necessary to attempt to reach consensus because the only way to deal with the challenges ahead is to find a European solution.
