March 9 (SeeNews) - Slovenia has tightened border control measures and has, since midnight Wednesday, refused entry to migrants who do not comply with the strict Schengen rules, which have up to this point been lightly interpreted, the country's interior ministry said.
On Tuesday, the ministry said it is abandoning past practices and tightening border control in line with the most recent Brussels meeting on the migration crisis. From midnight, access to Slovenia is only being granted to individuals with visas, those intending to seek asylum in Slovenia and those, who on humanitarian grounds and after careful individual assessment, comply with Schengen rules.
According to the Slovenian police, since January 1, to date, 99,187 migrants have entered the country.
Croatia followed suit and announced late on Tuesday it is changing its approach to the migrant crisis too. From this moment, "only those with proper visas will be able to enter the Schengen zone," Croatia's interior minister Vlaho Orepic told broadcaster RTL.
He added that a new European border has been established between Macedonia and Greece.
Outsiders have interpreted the move as a bid to seal off the Balkan route with Amnesty International announcing that the European plan has dealt a death blow to the right to seek asylum.
Following Austria's restriction of migrant entries, over 30,000 people have become stuck along the Greek-Macedonia border, forcing Europe to respond with tighter rules.