State of emergency declared in the Slovak capital due to migrants’ influx

The municipal authorities of Bratislava have declared a state of emergency in the Slovak capital due to an influx of migrants and transit migration.

This decision was announced by the spokesman of the Bratislava City Hall, Peter Bubla, the SME media reported.

“As a result of the fact that neighbouring states have closed their borders, larger groups of migrants are beginning to concentrate in the capital, including mothers with young children,” Bubla stated.

The Slovak official added that the declaration of a state of emergency allows the city to more quickly and efficiently manage the provision of necessary assistance.

He noted that the city, in cooperation with the Center for Labor, Social Affairs and Family, and non-governmental organizations, is helping to accommodate mothers with young children and provide food and necessary medicines.

Slovakia declared it would resume checks on its border with Hungary to reduce the number of illegal migrants entering the country.

Bratislava took this step after Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria announced that they would introduce temporary checks on their borders with Slovakia. The checks will last at least 10 days to curb illegal migration.

Migrants arriving from Hungary and Serbia mostly use Slovakia as a transit country to Western Europe. Most of them are coming from Asia and the Middle East.

According to the Interior Minister, Slovakia has registered 39,688 migrants since the beginning of the year through October 1 – 11 times more than a year ago.