Croatia to take in asylum seekers over next two years.
With the pressure of asylum seekers arriving in Greece and Italy showing no signs of abating, the Croatian Govenment announced plans to play a role in sharing some of the burden of its European partners last week, by announcing plans to receive up to 550 asylum seekers in the country over the next two years.
Croatia will accept 150 people to be resettled and 400 people to be relocated. For that purpose, an inter-agency task force has been set up to be in charge of procedures related to the acceptance, accommodation and integration of refugees.
An inter-agency task force will be set up to oversee the process, with the 550 divided into two groups. Croatia will take 400 of the estimated 40,000 people arriving in Greece and Italy who will be temporarily relocated to other EU countries, and 150 of the estimated 20,000 who will be resettled.
"The government's decision on the relocation and resettlement of nationals of third countries who meet conditions for international protection is a response to the numerous humanitarian disasters that have been happening in the Mediterranean lately, and to the resulting increase in pressure on the EU asylum system, primarily in Italy and Greece, where a large number of seekers of international protection as well as displaced people from Syria arrive," Minister of the Interior Ranko Ostojic said.
