Photo Gallery Closing Borders in the Balkans

Angela Merkel is still hoping for a European solution to the refugee crisis. But with patience running out, Austria has joined countries on the Balkan Route to impose Plan B. But with the closure of borders, the situation in Greece is becoming dangerous.
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The new ground zero in the refugee crisis can be found on Victoria Square in Athens. With countries along the Balkan Route closing their borders, refugees are finding themselves trapped in Greece.

Foto: Simela Pantzartzi/ dpa
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Many of the countries between Greece and Austria are now only allowing a small number of refugees to cross through their borders each day and Macedonia has begun turning away all migrants from Afghanistan. Here, Afghan migrants gather on Victoria Square in Athens.

Foto: Simela Pantzartzi/ dpa
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Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov claims that his country is Greece's closest ally. His country has begun severely restricting the number of refugees allowed to cross on their way north. "Whenever a country to our north restricts its borders, we do the same," he says.

Foto: Olivier Hoslet/ picture alliance / dpa
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With a special EU summit on refugees approaching on March 7, German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to hope that Turkey will help Europe solve the crisis. But patience has become thin in many capitals across the EU, particularly in Eastern Europe.

Foto: UMIT BEKTAS/ REUTERS
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Austria this week said it was only going to allow 80 asylum applications per day from here on out, prompting Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU commissioner for migration, to send a harshly worded letter to Vienna. The cap, he wrote, is "incompatible with Austria's obligations under European and international law."

Foto: Laurent Dubrule/ dpa
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Avramopoulos' letter was addressed to Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner. This week, Athens cancelled her planned visit to Greece in response to Austria's recent Western Balkan conference on refugees, to which Greece was not invited.

Foto: Ronald Zak/ AP/dpa
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the most influential opponent of Merkel's refugee policies. This week, he announced that he intended to hold a referendum on the distribution of refugees among EU states as was agreed to last September.

Foto: Szilard Koszticsaks/ dpa
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Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil (not in uniform): Instead of criticizing Austria for introducing a ceiling on the number of refugees it is willing to allow into the country each day, the minister says, the European Commission should finally fulfill its obligation to come up with a European solution to the refugee crisis.

Foto: Marija Kanizaj/ picture alliance / dpa