VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — The latest news as hundreds of thousands make their way across Europe in search of safety and a better life. All times local.
12:15 p.m.
Slovenian police say more than 180,000 asylum seekers have entered the country since mid-October, with the influx continuing even as the nation starts putting up a razor-wire fence along the border.
Police said Thursday that more than 10,000 people crossed into the country from Croatia on Wednesday and Thursday morning in a sign that refugees have not been deterred by the fence.
The country of 2 million people has repeatedly complained it cannot handle thousands of people coming its way en route to Western Europe. Refugees started crossing into Slovenia after Hungary fenced off its border last month.
The Slovenian army and police on Thursday pressed on with the fence work amid border tensions with Croatia, which says the fence has entered its territory.
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11:50 a.m.
Croatia’s foreign minister says she is hopeful Slovenia will move its razor-wire fence from a disputed zone on the border between the two neighboring countries.
Croatia says the fence that Slovenia is putting up to stem the flow of refugees has entered Croatian territory in seven locations. Minister Vesna Pusic said Thursday a formal protest note will be lodged with Slovenia later in the day.
Pusic says Croatia had a similar problem with Hungary when it erected its border fence. “We reacted the same way and Hungary removed the wire,” she said. “We expect the same reaction from Slovenia, they will move it.”
Slovenia has said it is avoiding contested border areas unresolved from the 1990s breakup of Yugoslavia. The small Alpine nation says it is overwhelmed by the refugee surge.
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11:05 a.m.
The leaders of Croatia and Slovenia will meet amid border tensions that erupted after Slovenia started building a razor-wire fence inside disputed territory to stem an influx of migrants.
Talks between Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Croatia’s Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic later Thursday are set to focus on the border spat, although the meeting was planned earlier for other issues.
Tensions soared Wednesday as Croatia announced a formal protest note to Slovenia saying sections of the fence are on Croatian territory. The foreign ministry insisted that Slovenia remove the fence.
Slovenia had said it was avoiding contested border areas unresolved from the 1990s breakup of Yugoslavia. The small Alpine nation says it has been overwhelmed by the influx of thousands of people crossing toward Western Europe.
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10:40 a.m.
Swedish police are urging people traveling to and from neighboring countries on Thursday to bring their passports or other identification documents as the country temporarily reintroduces border controls.
The move announced by the government late Wednesday means that Sweden is suspending the European Union’s passport-free travel rules, to control the flow of migrants entering the country from Denmark and Germany. The government said the move would “bring order” to Sweden’s reception of migrants and make sure they are registered as they enter the country.
With nearly 200,000 asylum-seekers expected by the end of the year, Sweden is receiving more per capita than any other EU nation.
Germany introduced temporary border controls in September. That hasn’t stemmed the flow of migrants, but German authorities say it’s given them more control of the situation.
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9:40 a.m.
Sweden’s prime minister is defending his decision to reintroduce border controls, saying it is no longer possible to properly control the country’s borders.
Stefan Lofven told reporters on Thursday that “when our authorities tell us we cannot guarantee the security and control of our borders, we need to listen.”
Speaking at a migration summit in Malta, Lofven said that his European Union partners understand Sweden’s decision, and that EU leaders need to revamp the rules for Europe’s passport-free area.
He said the EU needs “to discuss what the rules should look like. We need another system. That is obvious.”
Sweden currently has the highest number of migrants per capita of any EU country, as the bloc struggles to manage its biggest refugee emergency in decades.
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