Austria Calls for Closing Migrant Route through Italy, Too  

An undated handout image provided by the Italian Navy on 23 February 2016 showing migrants on a boat during rescue operations in the Strait of Sicily off the Italian coast. EPA/BGNES

Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz has called for stepping up border controls to shut off the Mediterranean route leading through Italy to central Europe following the closure of the Western Balkan route for migrants.

In an interview with German newspaper Bild on Sunday, Kurz said: “We must do everything that we did for the Balkan route for the Italian-Mediterranean route so that it is clear the time of waving through refugees to central Europe had passed, no matter which route it is,” according to thelocal.at.

In a separate development, Austria’s Chancellor Werner Faymann has said that European countries should make clear to asylum seekers that refugees cannot choose where they will be accommodated in Europe.

In comments to state broadcaster ORF on Sunday Faymann also defended Austria’s decision to impose annual caps on the number of refugees the country woyuld take in, according to the Associated Press.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said last week that while migrant traffic to Greece still dominates, there had been much more arrivals to Italy this winter compared with either of the previous two years.

“That’s an indication that the Libya-to-Italy route remains a preferred migrant path,” the IOM said.

 

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