Border & Travel Information For Migrants Or Refugees Going To Europe & The EU
Which Way To Freedom ?
هناك جوجل ترجمة زر اللغة في الجزء العلوي من الصفحة !
Overview ( Important! )
Travel information for Croatia or Hungary or Serbia or Slovenia
This page for Info on other EU countries & the Schengen Zone
Present Issues – European Policy – Future Problems
If you have any information that should be on this page please email post@euromost.info
Introduction
The country you are in may be helpful but you may not be able to move on to the next one if they do not welcome you. This means that refugees migrants and asylum seekers can face many challenges and difficulties. The information below is reviewed several times daily.
The information is posted below under the name of the country it refers to. It might help you if you read the information for all the countries you are thinking of going to and in case you can’t get into them, the countries next to them. Please read the advice about landmines and weather conditions.
In any county the situation can change suddenly, so you should check the latest information we have for each country regularly. If you have any information or advice you think should be added to this page please email us: post@euromost.info. You may also find this Schengen Zone information helpful:
Schengen Zone Information
Map courtesy of Wilki
Countries not in the Schengen Zone are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the UK. 22 of the 28 European Union countries are in the zone. Switzerland is in the zone, but is not in the EU.
There are normally no border or passport controls between two Schengen countries – but Hungary has now introduced controls at its borders.
Countries A – Z
Last reviewed / updated November 3rd @ 00.00
Latest: New Rail Service For Migrants & Refugees In Serbia To New Winter Camp in Croatia + New Train Services From Croatia To Austrian Border.
See Croatia Updates & Slovenia Updates
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People In Or Going To Austria
EU Member State in the Schengen Zone
Update Oct 8th 03.24 Refugees and migrants in or on their way to Austria face more uncertainty as recent local elections in Austria have threatened the stability of the national coalition government. In the elections 30%of voters voted for the far-right, anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPO) The FPO polled more support than either of the coalition parties.
In a bid to stop the FPO from gaining any power in future elections some members of the socialist-conservative government which has been in power for 70 years are threatening to resign from office unless the coalition tightens up policies on migrants and reduce spending on the welfare state.
October 18th update. Austria Authorities are limiting the number of refugees and migrants entering Austria to 1500 per day. This is causing delays at the Serbian / Croatian border and the Croatian / Slovenian border For details see the links for this countries below.
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People Going To Bosnia – Herzegovina
Bosnia-Herzegovina is not in the EU.
Oct 1st: Refugees and migrants should avoid going through Bosnia-Herzegovina on their way to Croatia as this country still has hundreds of minefields all over the country, around towns and in the countryside. Some estimates suggest there are over 100,000 unexploded landmines hidden in the forests and fields. If you enter Bosnia-Herzegovina there is no direct route towards Croatia that you can take without having to walk around the edge of the minefields,. You cannot travel west, or north west, or north through this country on the way to the Croatian border without being very close to these minefields.
map and Bosnian Landmine warning sign courtesy of wiki.
The route towards the Bosnian border with southern Croatia is almost completely blocked by minefields. In places these minefields reach up into the mountains which are a barrier to entry into Croatia as well. The Croatian Government has said that as it is such a dangerous route to try and enter Croatia by that it will refuse anyone entry to Croatia, and deport anyone, who arrives this way. See also Croatia Information
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People In Or Going To Croatia
EU Member State NOT in the Schengen Zone
This section is now on a separate page please click here (includes weather summary for the next few days)
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People In Or Going To Czech Rep
EU Member State in the Schengen Zone
23rd Sept Update: The Czech Government have announced today that they will only accept around 1600 migrants into their country, even if the majority of the European Union Countries vote for a quota scheme. It has not indicated what policy it would have to refugees or migrants who turn up at the border. See also Visegrad Group below
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People Going To Hungary
EU Member State in the Schengen Zone
This section now is on a separate page please click here
see also Visegrad Group below
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People Going To Poland
EU Member State in the Schengen Zone
The Polish Government does not want to participate in any EU quota scheme to accept refugees and there have been widespread demonstrations and rallies against Poland helping refugees in anyway with, some people advocating the only help they should be offered is detention in the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
Migrants in Poland should note that organised right-wing extremists – many of them with association to football teams – are openly hostile and provocative, and attacks on immigrants do occur. In some areas the police allow this to happen.
It is therefore possible that Poland will close its border to refugees and migrants. If this happens you would be trapped in Ukraine if you managed to get that far. See also the Ukraine and weather warnings sections below. See also Visegrad Group below.
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People In Or Going To Romania
EU Member State. NOT in the Schengen Zone
The Romanian Government have been openly critical of Hungary’s policies and attitude to refugees and their building the fence along the Romanian-Hungarian border This does not mean that they would be sympathetic welcoming or willing to help you by allowing you to travel through Romania to another country.
On September 7th it rejected European Union proposals that Romania should accept 4,646 refugees. The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, said Romania could only take 1,785. At the time he said because Romania was not in the Schengen Zone it was unlikely to be a destination by large numbers of refugees and migrants. He also said that anyone wanting to enter Romania ‘had to obey some rules’.
Since then the situation has changed and it is possible that some people might now want to travel to the Ukraine via Romania. If you wanted to so this it is not clear if Romania’s Government would permit you to.
TRAVEL ADVICE For Refugees Or Migrants In Serbia
Serbia is not in the EU.
This section now is on a separate page please click here (includes weather summary for the next few days)
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People Going To Slovakia
EU Member State in the Schengen Zone
The Slovakian Authorities in mid-August said they were only prepared to take 200 refugees from Syria, and that they had to be Christians and not Muslims. It is therefore possible that Slovakia will close its border to refugees and migrants. If this happens you would be trapped in trapped in Ukraine if you managed to get that far. See also the Ukraine and weather warnings sections below. See also Visegrad Group below.
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People In or Going To Slovenia
EU Member State in the Schengen Zone
This section now is on a separate page please click here
TRAVEL ADVICE: For People In or Going To Ukraine
Ukraine is not in the EU.
The political situation in the Ukraine is unstable and Eastern Ukraine is effectively involved in a civil war, though a shaky truce exists at the moment. There have also been demonstrations and violence in parts of Southern Ukraine.
Because of these problems, in September 2016 there were 275,000 internal refugees, according to the United Nations. It is thought that around 100.000 of these people have applied to neighbouring EU countries for asylum. However they are still in the Ukraine and help for them is very limited. It is very unlikely that you would be able to enter other EU countries from the Ukraine because of this situation. See also the weather warning below.
VISEGRAD GROUP: Czech Rep, Hungary, Poland & Slovakia
All EU Member States and all in the Schengen Zone
Following the fall of communism, these countries met in Visegrad, Hungary (February 1991) and agreed to collectively cooperate on economic, energy, and military issues and also their future relationship and role in Western Europe. All four countries became EU members 2004.
Today these countries remain very close politically and each are ‘nationalist’ in their own right. All four counties, though happy to be EU members, are critical of the power of Brussels which at times they compare with the power of Moscow that they had to tolerate under communism. Each country also has active and sometimes very intimidating right-wing groups who do not welcome migrants, refugees or asylum seekers. The right wing Hungarian and Polish Governments seem to be more sympathetic to these extremist views than the other two counties.
Two days before the EU Quota meeting on September 23rd these four countries met and agreed to vote against the EU Quota proposal. This they did, and given their long-standing relationships it is quite possible that they may as a group adopt similar policies towards refugees, migrants and asylum seekers. This could include Poland and Slovakia, like Hungary, refusing entry to you at their borders:
image courtesy of wiki
If you decide to try and enter these countries via routes such as Romania and the Ukraine you may not succeed and could end up stranded in the Ukraine.
October 3rd Update Czech media sources have said that the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia will assist the Hungarian Government and seal their borders with Croatia and Serbia. These countries are prepared to send police and troops to provide this assistance when Hungary asks for help.
October 10th Update Following a meeting in Hungary of this group on the 9th of October it was confirmed that the Czech Government is prepared to help the Hungarian Authorities seal its Southern borders.
October 16th Update: An advance party of Czech Military Engineers where deployed to Kaposvar in Hungary on the 15th October. more
October 17th Update Hungary has closed it’s borders to refuges unless they want to apply for asylum in Hungary.
Winter Weather Warning
You should also be aware that from late October and early November, temperatures in central and eastern Europe in the daytime may be at best close to zero. If you are young or elderly or sleeping in the open, this climate is dangerous.
By early December as winter sets in heavy snowfall is possible. Temperatures can be well below freezing day and night with severe frosts particularly in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and The Ukraine.
Weather Update October 14th In the last few days early light winter snow has affected Western Russia. Ukraine Poland and northern Germany. Generally the next few days will be less cold with rain showers during the day but some snow is possible overnight when temperatures may fall to freezing and below. Weather forecasts for Serbia and Croatia are given on the Serbian page and Croatian page.
Can you help ?
If you have any information that should be on this page please email: post@euromost.info
