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8:30 p.m.
The
European Union will assess the economic costs of the refugee crisis to
see whether the nations caught up in it need more lenient budget rules.
Luxembourg
Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said Friday the EU's executive
Commission will "analyze whether the refugee crisis can be considered an
extraordinary circumstance" under rules the bloc has to ensure sound
public finances.
Gramegna also said the
European Investment Bank also stands ready to quickly help countries,
regions and cities that need financial help to deal with the arrival of
migrants.
Greece, Italy and Hungary are among the EU nations hardest hit by the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants this year.
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5:55 p.m.
A
leading Human Rights Watch official has criticized Hungary's handling
of asylum seekers, accusing police of treating people like animals who
have food thrown at them.
"Hungary continues
to be the most difficult part of the journey that Syrian, Iraqi and
Afghan refugees are trying to make to Europe," Peter Bouckaert of the
New York-based rights group told The Associated Press at Budapest's
migrant-clogged Keleti train station.
"They
get blocked at the border. Police take them to holding centers where
they live in horrible conditions. They are kept like animals. They get
very little food. The food gets thrown at them sometimes, instead of
distributed," he said.
Bouckaert said Human
Rights Watch workers had documented cases of people with serious medical
problems being neglected in the migrant camps, including a 1-month-old
vomiting baby with a fever, a man with a heart attack and a man who
suffered seizures.
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5:25 p.m.
A
Romanian official is denying suggestions that Romania will take in
refugees in exchange for membership in the European Union's Schengen
zone of passport-free travel.
Corneliu Calota,
a spokesman for Prime Minister Victor Ponta, said Romania would not
"condition accepting migrants' quotas to Schengen membership."
Ponta
said on his Facebook page that the countries asking Romania to take
refugees were the ones that had blocked Romania's entry to Schengen.
Calota
told The Associated Press on Friday that Ponta believes "it would be
fair" for Romania and Bulgaria to be admitted to Schengen, starting with
their airports.
President Klaus Iohannis says
Romania can take about 1,785 migrants, but opposes the European
Commission's call for it to take 6,351 migrants.
Several EU members have cited concerns about corruption and the legal systems in Romania.
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4:50 p.m.
Showing
their determination, a trickle of migrants marching toward Vienna
swelled into a torrent after Austria cut the number of trains serving
the border.
Hungarian police spokesman Helmut
Marban said a "group dynamic" started Friday, with a few people
beginning to walk toward Vienna from the border, inspiring thousands to
join them on the 40-mile (60 kilometer) trek.
Police briefly closed the A4 expressway to vehicles because of the potential dangers of so many migrants.
The
trek petered out a few hours after it began, with police and emergency
crews persuading those wanting to push on to the Austrian capital that
there would be enough buses for them eventually.
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4:35 p.m.
Finland
says it will take part in a new European Union scheme to take care of
120,000 refugees arriving in Italy, Greece and Hungary and will accept
2,400 of them.
Finance Minister Alexander
Stubb said Friday that Finland would do this "on a voluntary basis"
rather than be legally obliged to do so. Speaking at an EU finance
ministers meeting in Luxembourg, Stubb said "we don't think this is
about decision-making or institutions. It's about helping others."
He
said the migrant crisis "is a defining moment of European integration
and in many ways a much more critical issue than we've had with the euro
crisis."
The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary oppose the migrant sharing plan.
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4:15 p.m.
Germany's
defense minister says the military has put some 4,000 soldiers on call
this weekend in case they're needed to help deal with the influx of
migrants.
Defense Minister Ursula von der
Leyen told the weekly Der Spiegel that "the country can count on the
Bundeswehr's support." She indicated there's room to increase the number
of soldiers available if needed.
The Germany military has already made accommodations available for 14,500 migrants at barracks and other facilities in Germany.
Soldiers
also have helped with transport and tents and some military officials
have been sent to help the national migration authority process the rise
in asylum cases.
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2:45 p.m.
German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has heard a unanimous and
emphatic "no" from his counterparts from four Central European nations
to his call for introducing mandatory quotas for accepting migrants.
Steinmeier said 40,000 migrants are expected to arrive in Germany over the coming weekend and 800,000 this year.
But
the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and
Slovakia rejected the European Union's latest plan to relocate 160,000
migrants across the 28-nation bloc.
Steinmeier left their joint news conference in Prague prematurely on Friday, allegedly due to his busy schedule.
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2:20 p.m.
The
foreign ministers of four Central European countries have rejected a
European Union plan for introducing mandatory quotas for accepting
migrants in their meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier.
Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir
Zaoralek, who hosted Friday's meeting, told reporters: "We need to have
control over how many we are capable of accepting."
Steinmeier
argued that the migrant crisis is "possibly the biggest challenge for
the European Union in its history. And it's impossible for one country
to deal with such a challenge."
Germany, which accepts the most migrants of any EU nation, is pressing for the quotas.
But
Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said: "We have a different
view," and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the top goal
should be to gain control over the EU's external borders.
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1:45 p.m.
Hungarian
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has ordered his country's border with
Serbia to be turned into a razor-tipped fortress, says the solution to
the European Union migration crisis lies in Greece.
"We
have to take care of the problem where it exists," Orban told a
Budapest news conference. "If Greece is not capable of protecting its
borders . we need to mobilize European forces to the Greek borders so
that they can achieve the goals of European law instead of the Greek
authorities. That is one of the foremost goals."
Under
EU asylum rules, those seeking refugee protection should apply in the
first EU country they enter. Greece is the first EU country on the
migration route that starts in Turkey and runs through the Balkans and
Hungary.
But other EU nations in recent years
have stopped deporting people back to Greece, citing its overwhelmed,
dysfunctional asylum system. Germany recently decided to stop deporting
people back to Hungary for similar reasons.
---
1:30 p.m.
The
U.N. refugee agency says it's deploying hundreds of prefabricated homes
to central and southeastern Europe to temporarily house some of the
Syrian refugees who are flooding into the continent.
Spokesman
William Spindler says UNHCR is stepping up its operations in Europe
amid what it estimates is an influx of over 380,000 people across the
Mediterranean so far this year. The International Organization for
Migration has put the figure at more than 432,000.
Spindler
said Friday that "trucks are on the way" after the Geneva-based agency
won government approval to send 300 prefabricated homes to provide
overnight, temporary housing to refugees awaiting registration by
authorities.
He said UNHCR is also sending
enough supplies and blankets for 95,000 people in four countries among
the most affected: Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia and Greece.
---
1:20 p.m.
The
foreign ministers of four Central European countries say they rejected
an EU plan for mandatory quotas for accepting asylum-seekers when they
met with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday.
Czech
Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek, who hosted the meeting, said "We
need to have control over how many (migrants) we are capable of
accepting."
Germany, which receives by far the most asylum applications, demands compulsory sharing of refugees among EU countries.
Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak said "We have a different view" of the problem.
"The
first and most important task is to gain control over the outer border
of the European Union," Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto
argued.
His country is building a fence on its border with Serbia in an effort to stop the waves of the migrants.
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1:15 p.m.
European
Council President Donald Tusk says he is more hopeful now that the
European Union can deal with the refugee crisis after contacts with EU
member states in recent days.
Speaking during a
visit to Cyrpus Friday, Tusk said an upcoming emergency meeting of EU
home affairs and justice ministers on Monday needs to produce "a
concrete positive sign of solidarity and unity."
If no deal is found, he said he would have to call an emergency EU Council meeting in September to tackle the crisis.
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1:10 p.m.
Germany's
foreign minister says the European Union needs to go beyond an
already-contentious proposal to redistribute 160,000 migrants who are
already in Europe and agree on a "fair distribution mechanism" for those
who are still on their way.
Germany expects
800,000 migrants to arrive this year and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier noted that the European Commission's proposal to redistribute
refugees will send more to Germany, not take any off its hands. He
spoke at a meeting Friday with his counterparts from several eastern
European countries, who are resisting quotas.
Steinmeier
added that European countries need to think about "joint European
communication" in countries where migrants are coming from to stop
rumors arising that "in Europe, wherever it may be, everyone either has a
right to asylum or a guaranteed job."
---
1 p.m.
Denmark
says it won't accept any of the 160,000 refugees that the European
Union wants to relocate to other countries from Italy, Greece and
Hungary.
Like Britain and Ireland, Denmark is
not legally bound to take part in EU plans to spread refugees more
evenly across the bloc and Integration Minister Inger Stoejberg on
Friday made clear that Denmark has no intention of joining voluntarily.
Stoejberg
told reporters that "we won't be part of the distribution of the
160,000 asylum-seekers" and that Denmark already is receiving a large
number of asylum-seekers.
Almost 15,000 people
applied for asylum in Denmark last year. Neighboring Sweden, whose
population is nearly twice as large, took in more than 80,000.
---
12:30 p.m.
A
Hungarian camerawoman caught on video kicking and tripping migrants
near the Serbian border has offered a qualified apology for her
behavior.
Petra Laszlo says in the letter
published in the daily Magyar Nemzet newspaper that she was "sincerely
sorry for what happened," but addedL "I was scared as they streamed
toward me, and then something snapped inside me."
The
40-year-old was fired by the right-wing N1TV online channel after
footage of her kicking and tripping migrants Tuesday near the village of
Roszke went viral on social media.
Police
questioned Laszlo on suspicion of disorderly conduct Thursday, released
her without charge, and say the investigation is continuing.
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12:30 p.m.
Bavarian authorities say that more than 40,000 asylum-seekers have arrived at the Munich train station in a six-day span.
Authorities
said Friday that from Sept. 5 through Sept. 10, 40,680 refugees and
migrants arrived at the station, primarily from Hungary through Austria.
After
being registered and given food, water and a medical checkup, the
people are generally then sent by train or bus to other parts of the
country to be put into temporary shelters as they apply for asylum.
Through Sept. 8 Germany has seen some 450,000 migrants enter the country and is expecting at least 800,000 this year.
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12:15 p.m.
Chinese
artist Ai Weiwei, on a rare visit to London to open a major exhibition
of his work, says he has been impressed by the German government's
welcoming attitude to refugees and suggested the British government
might do more to help.
The artist, who has
frequently used his work to criticize injustice in China, said Friday he
feels "very proud" of the German response. He said the British people
are also very compassionate in their response but that the British
government should extend more help.
Prime Minister David Cameron said this week Britain is ready to welcome some 20,000 over the next five years.
Ai said he has some artworks in preparation that will address the refugee crisis.
---
11:30 a.m.
The
governor of Greece's northern Aegean region says authorities have
managed to register 20,000 refugees and migrants who had been on the
island of Lesbos in the space of three days, significantly easing the
overcrowding on the island.
Regional governor
Christiana Kalogirou told private Skai television Friday that the number
of refugees and migrants on the island had reached about 30,000.
Greece's caretaker government, appointed about two weeks ago to lead the
country to Sept. 20 early elections, sent extra staff to speed up
registration and chartered two extra ferries to help move people to the
mainland.
More than 250,000 people have
reached Greece so far this year, the vast majority arriving on islands
from the nearby Turkish coast. About half of all those who arrive do so
on Lesbos. Few, if any, want to remain in financially stricken Greece.
---
11:20 a.m.
EU
diplomats say the bloc's interior ministers will not act on Monday to
put into action a new plan to share 120,000 refugees now in overburdened
Greece, Italy and Hungary.
A diplomat with
the EU's Luxembourg presidency said Friday that "we are hopeful for a
formal adoption on Oct. 8" at a meeting in Luxembourg.
The diplomats requested anonymity because they are not permitted to speak publicly about proceedings.
European
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled the plan on Wednesday
and called for it to be adopted at the emergency meeting.
---
By Associated Press Writer Lorne Cook
---
11 a.m.
Austrian
Federal Railways says train service has been suspended between the main
border crossing point to Hungary and Vienna. That appears to have
prompted thousands of asylum-seekers to begin trekking on foot toward
the Austrian capital.
The railways press
department says the move was prompted due to lack of capacity to deal
with the thousands of people at the Nickelsdorf crossing wanting to
board trains daily to the Austrian capital. Once in Vienna, most have
traveled on to Germany and other Western EU nations.
Railway
officials are meeting Friday to try to resolve the issue. Meanwhile,
thousands of migrants and refugees are trying to cover the 60 kilometers
(40 miles) to Vienna on foot.
Austrian police official Hans Peter Doskozil says 7,500 people crossed into Austria at Nickelsdorf on Thursday.
---
11 a.m.
A
poll in Germany finds that 66 percent of respondents believe the German
and Austrian leaders were right to allow in asylum-seekers who were
stuck in Hungary, and 62 percent think Germany can cope with the influx
of arrivals from countries in crisis.
The
telephone poll of 1,352 people was conducted by the Forschungsgruppe
Wahlen agency for ZDF television between Tuesday and Thursday, days
after thousands of people started arriving from Hungary.
Eighty-five
percent of those polled said they believe the decision to let in the
refugees will lead to still more setting off for Germany. And 57 percent
said Germany is doing the right amount to help refugees, while 21
percent thought it is doing too little.
The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
---
9:45 a.m.
Austrian
police have shut down sections of the roadway between Vienna and the
Hungarian border as asylum-seekers have formed a long line and are
walking toward the capital.
Police spokesman
Gerhard Koller says the people - estimated by reporters to number more
than 1,000 - pushed through police cordons to being their 60-kilometer
(40-mile) trek early Friday.
It was unclear
what prompted the development. Trains have been taking migrants and
refugees from the Nickelsdorf border point to Vienna for days, and
Koller said more trains were planned.
Thousands
of people - most of them migrants who have traveled the West Balkans
route from Greece - have been arriving at Vienna train stations daily.
Most have traveled on to Germany and other West European EU nations.
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