Summit in Vienna: Western Balkans between EU accession and refugee crisis

At the upcoming summit of leaders of Western Balkan countries in Vienna on August 26 and 27, 2015, which will be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, migrants from Syria and other war-torn countries who are massing into EU countries will also be discussed, writes the BH News Agency Patria.

Although regional cooperation and the accession of Balkan countries to the EU were supposed to be discussed, the latest developments with the influx of Syrian refugees have emerged as the first topic of the summit in Vienna.

The summit will also be attended by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini.

The route through the Western Balkan countries has clearly become the main way for migrants to enter the European Union during the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

According to data from the EU border agency Frontex, from January to July this year, about 102,000 refugees entered EU countries via Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During 2014, there were 8,000 refugees in the same period.

More than 2,000 refugees entered Hungary from Serbia alone last night, continuing towards EU countries. Hungary will erect a wire fence by August 31 in an attempt to prevent entry into its territory.

Austria, which borders Hungary, is hosting the summit and will present a five-point plan to overcome the refugee crisis. This includes increased security cooperation, assistance to countries receiving migrants, and a pan-European asylum strategy.