BUCHAREST – NGOs and local leaders say Romania appears ill-prepared for a major influx of refugees if fighting dramatically escalates in neighboring Ukraine and civilians are forced to flee, despite government assurances to the contrary.
They say meager facilities are already stretched thin by the busiest year in decades for asylum applications, in addition to years as a gateway to Europe for migrants from Asia and elsewhere.
NGOs and local leaders have said the government has cited an expansion of only around 2,500 extra places for asylum seekers or refugees, while the direst forecasts suggest a major conflict could send millions of Ukrainians scrambling for the borders.
The warnings this month coincided with a tour of the region by U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet in which he discussed with Romanian officials the possibility of such a wave as Western fears mount of an „imminent” military escalation in Ukraine by Russia.
