Rijeka Mayor, Marko Filipovic, said on Tuesday he had asked the prime minister and the relevant ministries to step up their engagement regarding the numerous migrants passing through the northern Adriatic city.

Filipovic said he had written to the prime minister and the ministries to take a more active role in dealing with the problem of the large number of migrants arriving in Rijeka by rail on their way to other EU countries.

“The government should not care only about the Schengen Area’s external borders but also about the security situation within the country’s borders. Greater engagement is necessary by the police and Croatian Railways.”

Filipovic said Croatia’s accession to Schengen on 1 January did not reduce the migrant flow, and that the results of the “huge migrant crisis” could be seen around Rijeka’s central station.

He thanked NGOs and the Rijeka Archdiocese for organising a transit point to help migrants together with the city administration, saying the city administration has set aside €66,400 for that purpose.