The refugee transit centre in Tabanovce, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is the waiting point for those refugees who want to cross Serbia and continue their journey to other European countries.
The Defensor del Pueblo of Spain, and the Ombudsman of Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia—members of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AMO)—visited the refugee transit centre of Tabanovce, near Skopje, on the border of Serbia, on the 22nd of February.
In the centre they found 617 Afghan refugees who intended to enter Serbia on foot. As of this date, the Serbian authorities are refusing to allow them entry and say they should turn back.
These people find themselves “trapped,” and the Macedonian authorities are concerned by the arrival of a great number of persons in a country with limited possibilities, and a population of slightly more than 2 million people.
The Mediterranean Ombudsmen call for a common European policy—not for the closing of borders—as well as for increased means for reception and transit centres. They also support the EU agreement to provide financial aid to Turkey to help with the reception of refugees in a manner that treats them with complete respect for their fundamental rights, as well as in dignified conditions.
