Refugees are using the Black Sea to go to Europe

Romanian police detained a tirele of illegal immigrants a few days ago. Looks like the Black Sea is being seen as a new alternative to smugglers following the difficulty of Mediterranean route

In the fall of 2015, the European Union established the distribution of 160,000 refugees from refugee shelters in Italy and Greece. Romania, like the state of Visegrad, Poland, Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia initially resisted a refugee quota, but later agreed to take refugees based on its capacities.

Based on the distribution mechanism, this country was to receive 6,300 refugees, later spoken of 4,000 people, now only 2,000 refugees from Italy and Greece must come to Romania. Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu announced this in an interview for television. So far this country has accepted 710 immigrants, mainly from Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Romania is not part of the refugee desired countries, but after Minister Melescanu's statement it could change.

Dangerous Road Through the Black Sea

Within the past week, there have been two attempts to bring refugees from Turkey illegally across the Black Sea. On August 20th, the Romanian coastal guard banned a tire of 50 migrants. A week ago a motorized boat of 69 Iraqis was stopped on the Black Sea coast. Most refugees were minors.

It is not the first time refugees come to the EU via the Black Sea. As of September 2014, Romanian police stopped a hole with 132 refugees, a year later another 68 refugees seeking to enter Romania illegally.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in a television interview had voiced a year earlier that Romania will accept a certain number of refugees, but will successfully defend its borders on refugees. “There have been attempts by refugee groups to come from Serbia to Romania and then proceed towards Europe, but we managed to stop it. We will also stop those who want to come across the Black Sea”, Iohanis said. According to the Romanian president, the Black Sea is much more insurmountable than the Mediterranean Sea.

Bulgaria Fears refugee flood

But the situation seems to have changed in recent months. In their despair, people are willing to take even more dangerous routes, such as through the Black Sea. Evidently after the closure of the Aegean, Balkan route and the Mediterranean blockade, smugglers seem to be willing to use the Mediterranean Sea as an alternative.

If the Black Sea becomes a new route, it cannot affect only Romania, but also Bulgaria with a new influx of refugees. The government in Sofia has taken concrete steps against illegal migration. A thorn fence separates nearly the entire border with Turkey. 600 soldiers and troops, along with fears, will engage to stop refugees from coming to Europe. There are still no plans on how Bulgaria and Romania would be protected against illegal migrants. But it is expected that even this route will soon be blocked and refugees will again seek new ways to get to Europe.