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Residents of the Lipa camp try to warm up by a fire (photo taken on January 1, 2021)
Photo: FEHIM DEMIR / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
According to the EU, the situation in Bosnian refugee camps is "completely unacceptable".
This is how Johann Sattler, EU special envoy for Bosnia, described the situation after a meeting with the Bosnian security minister Selmo Cikotic: "The lives and basic rights of hundreds of people are in serious danger."
But how to remedy this, opinions differ, also within the governing parties in Germany.
Specifically, it is about taking in refugees from camps in Greece or Bosnia.
In contrast, Friedrich Merz, candidate for the CDU chairmanship, and Union parliamentary group vice-chairman Thorsten Frei.
SPD parliamentary deputy Achim Post has now accused them of cold heartedness.
"What we are currently experiencing in some places on the Greek islands and in Bosnia-Herzegovina is a humanitarian emergency," said Post.
"Here is help, also through the willingness to take in refugees in need, a command of humanity."
Merz: "This path is no longer open"
Merz had spoken out against the admission in principle.
The EU has an obligation to help on the ground in the Balkans or on the Greek islands.
“However, this humanitarian catastrophe cannot be resolved by saying: everyone comes to Germany.
This path is no longer open. "
Frei said that the admission of migrants from Bosnia could quickly send the fatal signal that the way to Germany was free.
"We would create a huge incentive to migrate to Europe." However, experts do not consider this pull-in argument to be valid (read more here).
SPD parliamentary group Vice Post called on Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) to allow cities and municipalities in Germany to accept refugees from the Greek islands.
At the same time, the EU must significantly increase the pressure on those responsible in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The former Bosnian refugee camp near Lipa on the border with Croatia was destroyed by a major fire on December 23.
The flames completely destroyed the camp's infrastructure.
Police believe that former residents set fire to the camp to protest a decision by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The IOM helpers had withdrawn from the camp the day before Christmas Eve because there was not enough electricity, water and heating.
The camp in Lipa was set up as temporary accommodation in April.
There is no longer any other regular accommodation for the refugees in this area.
For asylum seeks total failure of the EU
The relocation of the people to an old barracks failed due to local protests.
Hundreds of people were left without shelter in winter weather until the Bosnian army set up new tents in Lipa.
The EU envoy Johann Sattler said that setting up the tents was a necessary step, but the authorities now urgently need to ensure the supply of water and electricity in Lipa.
As a long-term solution, the authorities would have to provide a fully equipped camp there as soon as possible.
Until then, Camp Bira must be reopened.
The EU is helping Bosnia-Herzegovina with 85.5 million euros.
The organization Pro Asyl accused the EU of total failure.
The aid organization referred this to both the poor accommodation of the people in Bosnia and reports of so-called pushbacks by the neighboring EU country Croatia.
"The borders must be opened and the freezing people within the EU must be taken in," demanded Pro-Asylum managing director Günter Burkhardt.
In Bosnia, the mood among the population against refugees has turned since the Balkans became a transit area on the so-called Balkan route.
People don't want to stay in Bosnia.
Thousands of them are stuck there because they have so far not been able to cross the border into the EU country of Croatia.
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ulz / dpa / AFP