Some 36,000 illegal migrants were registered in Croatia in 2022, and many were issued with orders to leave the European Economic Area within seven days, including those who have been given humanitarian assistance in Zagreb and Rijeka, Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, said on Monday.

Bozinovic noted that an increase in illegal migrations had been reported across Europe, including Western and Eastern Mediterranean countries.

“This year 36,000 migrants entered Croatia, an increase of 145 percent. Croatia is one of the few countries doing everything with regard to security and human rights protection,” state agency Hina quoted Bozinovic as telling reporters during his visit to the town of Pakrac, without clarifying whether the increase was measured in comparison to 2021.

Croatia has registered increased numbers of migrants from new countries of origin which have previously been less represented among migrants traveling along the Balkan route which includes Croatia, such as the African country of Burundi.

Since Croatia is not their final destination, many of the arriving migrants do not want to apply for asylum in Croatia.

“They are then issued with decisions to leave the European Economic Area within seven days. That also applies to migrants who are provided with basic humanitarian assistance, in the form of showers and meals, in Zagreb and Rijeka. Those people want to move on (to western Europe),” Bozinovic said.

Two tents and a sanitary container have been set up near Zagreb’s main railway station to provide more humane conditions for transiting migrants during the winter months, Zagreb authorities said. Tents were recently set up in Rijeka for the same purpose.

“This is not an issue that can be dealt with by one country alone. I am confident that no solution at the EU level in defining those policies will be possible without Croatia’s involvement,” Bozinovic said.