Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia have started restricting access to migrants on the Balkan route to Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans. The three countries on the Balkan route are not a part of the EU border-free Schengen zone. "Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia are now stopping all who cannot identify themselves as refugees coming from these three countries affected by violence," Melita Sunjic, a spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR told dpa on Thursday. The authorities started implementing the new system overnight Thursday. It is a part of a joint effort to reduce the number of asylum seekers streaming into the European Union.
