Austria to build border fence with Slovenia to control refugee flow

Austria will build a fence along its border with fellow EU member Slovenia to slow down the flow of refugee, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said on Wednesday.

Both countries are part of the passport-free Schengen zone and have been key transit countries for tens of thousands of migrants desperately seeking to reach northern Europe via the Balkans. "This is about ensuring an orderly, controlled entry into our country, not about shutting down the border," she told public broadcaster Ö1.

The politician from the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) added that the situation risked escalating as people were forced to wait in freezing temperatures for hours before being allowed to cross from one nation into another. "We know that in recent days and weeks individual groups of migrants have become more impatient, aggressive and emotional. If groups of people push from behind, with children and women stuck in-between, you need stable, massive measures," Mikl-Leitner said.

On Tuesday, the minister had already hinted at the fence during a visit to the Spielfeld border crossing, saying that she was considering "structural measures" to be implemented at the checkpoint. Last week, she drew strong criticism from opposition members for saying that it was time for the EU to "build fortress Europe." But the Socialist Democrats (SPÖ), who are in a ruling national coalition with the Conservatives, on Wednesday appeared to side with Mikl-Leitner. SPÖ Defense Minister Gerald Klug said he could imagine barriers and containers at the Spielfeld border "to be able to control the migrants in an orderly manner."

More than 83,600 people have arrived in EU member Slovenia since mid-October after fellow bloc member Hungary shut its border with Croatia with a razor-wire fence, police said Tuesday.

More than 700,000 people fleeing war and misery have reached Europe's Mediterranean shores so far this year, with the majority coming from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. From Greece, they begin a grueling trek through the western Balkans and central Europe in the hope of reaching the EU's economic powerhouse Germany, the preferred destination for many migrants.

The turmoil in the Middle East, Africa and the five-year war in Syria have led many people to flee the conflict in an attempt to seek security and shelter in a more prosperous and peaceful country, such as those in the EU. Roughly half of Syria's population has been displaced by violence, with over 4 million Syrians now seeking refuge in neighboring countries, especially Turkey, which has around 2 million refugees, as well as Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Compared to Syria's neighboring countries, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees encouraged EU countries to do more to share the burden of the international community in the refugee crisis.