Božinović on 15-Hour Border Wait
Interior Minister Blames Montenegro for Lack of Open Border Gates, While PM Plenković Cites Albanian Nationals Heading Home as Main Cause of Congestion.
Interior Minister Blames Montenegro for Lack of Open Border Gates, While PM Plenković Cites Albanian Nationals Heading Home as Main Cause of Congestion.
Multi-hour waits at the exit from Croatia towards Montenegro have become a common occurrence, reaching a new peak over the past weekend. At the Karasovići border crossing, travelers waited more than 15 hours to cross the border, sparking sharp reactions from local residents and officials.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović commented on the situation on Monday, emphasizing that the delay was not caused by Croatian services. "Today, this situation is almost normal when leaving Croatia. When we talk about the Karasovići border crossing, it should be noted that it is mostly used by citizens of Kosovo and Albania traveling from Europe because it is the shortest route for them," Božinović stated.
The minister then pointed to the key issue. "As for the Croatian side, we had five border gates open at border crossings all day, while on the Montenegrin side, only two were open, which is a problem in itself," he said, as reported by Slobodna Dalmacija.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also commented on the chaos at the border, linking it to the start of school holidays in Bavaria. "In Bavaria, school obligations have ended, holidays have begun in the largest German state closest to us, hence such a large number of people. What happened towards Montenegro is mostly Albanian nationals who live and work in Western Europe, who took this route because it is the shortest for them," Plenković stated yesterday in Imotski.
The Prime Minister added that the new Entry/Exit system at borders further slows down the flow of travelers. "If there is a political effort, even a consensus, to prevent all possible aspects of illegal migration, one way to do that is through systematic checks, which means everyone enters a large shared computer system. Then, unfortunately, during such intense summer months, this sometimes causes congestion," he noted, appealing for patience.
The Mayor of Konavle Municipality, Božo Lasić, warned that Konavle was "practically paralyzed" and activated the Civil Protection Headquarters. According to Lasić, the multi-hour waits are causing great anxiety among travelers and locals, and some families, exhausted, had to seek medical help at Dubrovnik's Emergency Services.
In addition to the border congestion, Božinović also commented on the migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, assessing that Europe must draw certain lessons from it. "This is a large wave of people who entered EU territory, but they did not enter the continental part of Europe, nor is there a possibility of entering the Schengen area from Ceuta. The situation has been resolved because most migrants have been returned to Morocco," the minister said.
He also announced that on Tuesday he would discuss the topic with EU interior ministers. Božinović warned that it is known that besides criminal groups, there are also state-sponsored actors who want to destabilize the European area, but he assessed that they will not succeed.
Božinović, who visited the newly renovated police station in Preko on the island of Ugljan on Monday, also commented on the construction of an ammunition factory in Obrovac. "The ammunition factory is particularly important because in recent security-challenging events, especially the aggression against Ukraine, we have seen how important it is to have continuous equipping and sufficient ammunition for unexpected situations and training," he emphasized.
He also referred to the riots at the football match between Varaždin and Hajduk, confirming that two people were taken into custody from the stands, while the burning of chairs at the end of the match is under criminal investigation.
