EU overflown with Kosovo Albanian refugees

Serbia-Hungary border - Photo: ReutersPublished: Feb 7, 2015

SUBOTICA – At least 500 Kosovo Albanians arrives to the main bus station in Subotica every day. Most often they spend a day in Palic, and then they continue their way to Hungary and other EU countries crossing the border illegally, writes “Blic”.

Serbia-Hungary border – Photo: Reuters

They avoid major border crossings, such as Kelebija and Horgos, and go through secret channels, across the fields, to Backi Vinogradi.

“It all began descretely about four weeks ago, when we noticed a large number of passengers in regular traffic, but from ten days ago we have, on average, up to seven part-time buses coming from the south. Passengers stay shortly at the bus station and take taxi to leave,” said Miodrag Stojkovic, assistant director of “Subotica Trans”.



Photo: REUTERS

Four buses of “Nis Express” arrived from Pristina at Subotica bus station until 10 o’clock.

Passengers, mostly youth and a few families, leave with their heads down and approach to taxi drivers who are waiting in front of the station and drive at the price of around 30 euros.

“For more than a month passengers from Kosovo have been arriving with part-time lines and we drive them most often to Palic, to motels and hotels,” says a taxi driver Nebojsa Jeremic.

None of the passengers was in the mood to talk, only a few of them even agreed to stop.

“We left all we had in Kosovo. We do not have anything to live of. The misery is great. I know it will be hard to get there [in EU] , but I don’t feel sorry for anything in Kosovo,” said a middle-aged Albanian who arrived to Subotica with wife and two children.

The family enters a taxi with a few young men pushing to get in with them.


“We only have identity cards. Some have already agreed a transport across the border, but we do not have the money. Leave us, we already have a lot of our own problems. Whatever happens to me, I will know that at least I tried to avoid the life that none of us didn’t even think could happen in an independent Kosovo,” said a bitter young Albanian.

According to Subotica’s citizens who crossed the border at Backi Vinogradi, hundreds of Albanians walked along the road.


“It was horrible to see mothers with children walk, and many would stop, hold their hands in prayer and begged drivers to take them,” said Marinko H.V. from Subotica.

In Hungary they are not welcomed with open arms. The mayor of a border town Asotalom, Lazslo Torockaj, proposed erecting a fence around the village in order to defend the place from asylum seekers.