Thousands stand at the EU gate waiting for their chance. More and more people have searched for the border between Bosnia and Croatia to find a gap to slip into the EU. Since the border between Serbia and Hungary was closed, thousands have been trapped around the city of Bihac in northern Bosnia, just an hour's drive to the migratory destination.

Refugees and migrants often travel via the Balkan route from Turkey to Bosnia. Near the border with Croatia, near the city of Bihac, many people have gathered trying to enter the EU. Photo: SVT Design

"Many of them try again and again to cross the border to Croatia and the EU," says Erik Rehó, migration manager for the Western Balkans at the Swedish embassy in Serbia.

The Bosnian authorities have little capacity to accept asylum seekers. Local authorities and NGOs are trying to deal with the acute situation in the growing cold.

"Violence and Fighting"

“There are unworthy hygienic conditions. There is a shortage of food and many are ill, "says journalist Dirk Planert, according to Der Spiegel. There are also reports of burglaries in houses and cars and also violence and fighting, which upset the people of the area.

In northern Bosnia, thousands of migrants and refugees are trying to enter the EU via Croatia. Photo: AP / Kemal Softic

"The Vucja camp is a dangerous and inhumane place that should be closed," says Nihal Osman from MSF, MSF.

To support the receipts in Bosnia, the EU has raised to SEK 380 million.

Hard-hand methods

Around 30,000 people have passed through the Balkan route in 2019. In Croatia, the border is increasingly guarded. There is evidence that Croatian border police are using hard-handed methods to force back migrants and refugees who have tried to enter the country. It is denied by the Croatian authorities.

Closed repositories

In Greece, the authorities want to move over 20,000 asylum seekers from the overcrowded reception centers on the islands to the mainland. In the islands, more closed receptions are to be created where the migrants are allowed to stay until their asylum case has been settled. Those who reject their application must be quickly dismissed to Turkey. The Greek government's goal is to send 10,000 people back to Turkey in the next few months.

- Most do not want to stay in Greece but want to move on to other EU countries. But only people with close relatives in another EU country will be able to be transferred there to have their application reviewed there instead, says migration coordinator Erik Rehó to SVT News.