Closure of Balkan Route Divides Europe

Decisions by Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia to close borders to refugees fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East are dividing the European Union, suggests an article from Deutsche Welle. Closing borders does not resolve the problem, contends German Chancellor Angela Merkel who favors organized and united management of the refugee crisis and suggests a divided response weakens the union. Austria’s interior minister blamed Germany's open-door policy for bottlenecks of thousands of refugees, including 14,000 waiting at Macedonia’s border with Greece. Some countries are contemplating an end to participation in the Schengen program that allows visa-free travel. The EU is negotiating with Turkey on a plan for handling refugees, and a German minister rejected calls to return refugees back to Greece and Turkey, noting they are not sacks of potatoes. – YaleGlobal