Slovakia will take 500 migrants from the neighbouring Austria where they are currently located in a crowded facility close to Vienna. Last week we brought a story of Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák announcing this as a possibility of Slovakia's voluntary facilitating of migrants. Discussions about this arrangement have been going on for a while and closed on Wednesday in the evening via a phone call of the Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner and her Slovak counterpart Robert Kaliňák. The agreement is to be inked in the coming days. Allegedly Slovakia is to take only migrants stationed in the town of Traiskirchen and their further asylum procedures will be taken care of by Austrian authorities.
The first 50 migrants are to be relocated to Slovakia in July, with 200 to follow in August and 250 to follow in September. It is not clear for now which side, whether the Slovaks or the Austrians will take care of the expenses connected with care-taking of the migrants. It's a pilot project which should last about two years. "It's a small step, but a very clear signal of solidarity" stated Austrian Interior Minister Mikl-Leitner.
It has not been confirmed yet where Slovakia will accommodate the 500 migrants from Austria, however there are rumours that it could be in the small village of Gabčíkovo around 30 km from the capital Bratislava in a facility that belongs to the Slovak University of Technology. In the past migrants from Yugoslavia were accommodated there, however it has been empty for a number of years now. As the Nový čas daily brings, the village inhabitants have already signed a petition against the relocation of hundreds of migrants to their village, as they fear it will disrupt their quiet lives.
A voluntary commitment of Slovakia in tackling the migration crisis in Europe could see a further increase, as the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry has launched talks with churches and the third sector to engage them in the aid programme. As Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák stated that the first responses from the other side have fuelled optimism. He added that churches could contribute also in different ways, such as reaching out to believers in order to elevate the level of public debate on migrant issues. Just a few weeks after a protest against an influx of migrants into Slovakia took place in the capital Bratislava, another such demonstration is set to be staged in Žilina over the weekend, the daily reports.
Since the beginning of the year the police have arrested over 900 illegal immigrants, with June alone witnessing some 200 cases, a figure that is three times higher than numbers over the same period of last year the SME daily reports. The largest groups of immigrants this year have come from Ukraine and Syria. A typical immigrant crosses the border with Hungary, mainly travelling by car, train or bus. In order to respond to the growing number of illegal immigrants crossing the national border, the Slovak police have boosted checks on board international trains, buses and on certain motorway sections.
