According to Prime Minister Cerar, he never claimed that the Adriatic route was already active but rather than the closing of the Western Balkans route opens the possibility for criminal organizations that engage in people smuggling to redirect themselves towards the Adriatic. "Just as we warned about the potential dangers on the Western Balkans route even before mass migrations took place there, we are now drawing attention to other risks before it's too late."

Cerar added that other organizations are also reporting an upsurge in illegal migrations across the Adriatic. An increase in the migrant flow has been recorded by Frontex, while Croatian law-enforcement organizations have prevented the illegal crossing of a hundred immigrants in a single operation in Istria, Cerar pointed out. "This isn't fearmongering; it's reality, and it's something that could become increasingly common." An erven bigger problem for Slovenia could be Austria's decision to close its border, added Cerar.

Cerar invites Juncker to visit Slovenia
Cerar emphasized the importance of a common EU policy on migration. Otherwise, solving the problems will be up to preventative measures taken by individual member countries. That's the reason why Cerar has invited the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker to visit Slovenia and discuss these problems. "Slovenia is a key country, because it's where these routes intersect," concluded Cerar.

Cerar was also asked to comment on the Croatian response to the Aliens Law. Croatia has stated that it is obligated to admit only those migrants defined by the Dublin Convention, and not everyone, as stipulated by the Aliens Law. Cerar responded that these are extreme measures that would be activated only in the case of an exceptional increase in the migrant flow.

L. L.
Translated by J. B.