Members of the Slovenian armed force start removing the barbed wire fence at a border crossing with Croatia, near Slovenia's Metlika on July 15, 2022. The Slovenian army on Friday started dismantling 200 kilometers of barbed wire fence on its border with Croatia that had been erected to keep off illegal migrants. (Photo by Katja Kodba/STA via Xinhua)
LJUBLJANA, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The Slovenian army on Friday started dismantling 200 kilometers of barbed wire fence on its border with Croatia that had been erected to keep off illegal migrants.
Illegal migration peaked in 2015 and 2016, when in a period of six months about half a million people passed through the country on their way to wealthier western European states.
"Time (has) shown that no fence can prevent migration while it can cause tragedies," Interior Minister Tatjana Bobnar told reporters on Friday. The removal of the fence will take several months.
Last year, 10,067 illegal border crossings were registered by the authorities, down from 14,635 in 2020, according to data published by the Slovenian police. With a population of 2.1 million, Slovenia has borders with Croatia, Hungary, Austria and Italy.
The new center-left government of Prime Minister Robert Golob, which took power in June, had promised to dismantle the border fence and pay more attention to human rights of illegal migrants.
Authorities in future will control the borders by using more surveillance equipment, increasing border control staff and improving international cooperation. ■
