The town council of the central Croatian town of Petrinja decided on Friday to not allow the building of a reception centre for asylum seekers in the village of Mala Gorica near the town.
The Interior Ministry had decided in summer last year to build a large shelter for asylum seekers near Petrinja. The €4 million project, 75 percent of which was funded by the EU, and the rest from the government budget, was intended to create temporary housing capacities for some 200 people, reported Jutarnji List daily.
The decision to not allow the building came as a surprise to the Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, who announced he would on Monday meet with Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic, member of the Reformists party which supports the ruling coalition in the parliament, to discuss the subject.
“I regret this (decision), because we kept in touch with the local government and the mayor, a series of meetings were held, the latest in December last year, where we had agreed on how to proceed on the matter,” Bozinovic said.
“I understood there were things to be cleared up, and I offered to go to Petrinja with other Ministry officials, so I am surprised the City Council had convened now and come to this decision.”
The town councillors for the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said Dumbovic collected signatures of 12 councillors and put the issue on the daily agenda without first organising a public forum on the subject, in which Interior Ministry representatives were supposed to take part.
The issue was forced onto the agenda, they added.
Minister Bozinovic said he was surprised that no one from the ministry was invited to discuss the topic, as had been agreed.
“There are so many stories surrounding migrants. We’ve been saying from the beginning… we’re ready to go over there and talk to everyone in Petrinja, explain to them this is in no way a crisis, these are just vulnerable people who could take temporary shelter there,” Bozinovic said.
There are currently two reception centres for asylum seekers in Croatia, one in Zagreb, and the other in the central Croatian town of Kutina.
In 2017, a total of 880 migrants applied for asylum in Croatia, while in the first 11 months of 2018, 979 illegal migrants sought international protection in the country.
“People need to understand that they aren’t in any danger from children who are victims, or their parents. We have examples of Syrian families integrating well and it didn’t cause any trouble anywhere, and we intend to continue with the practice. We are a compassionate people, humane people, and I’m sure this is a problem of faulty communication, which we are always prepared to fix,” Bozinovic concluded.
Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.
