Role of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia in dealing with the refugee crisis
Role of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia in dealing with the refugee crisis

Summary/Abstract: So far the Republic of Macedonia has faced large refugee crisis caused by the huge number of migrants and refugees fleeing from conflict areas and trying to get to Western Europe. In the course of the second half of 2015 the situation on the southern border of the Republic of Macedonia was alarming. During August, more than 14 thousand refugees were present in the territory of the Republic of Macedonia on daily bases. This huge influx demanded an appropriate response by institutions to provide the safest way which would enable the flow of these people on the northern border and outside the Republic of Macedonia. Seen from a historical perspective this was not the first time the country had such a situation at the borders. However and from the past experience from the Kosovo crisis in 1999, this time, the country managed relatively well and quickly to activate the mechanisms to deal with such situations. The legislation of the Republic of Macedonia involves the possibility to activate Army units during a declared crisis situation to support police forces and state institutions primarily responsible for the implementation of measures and activities for such humanitarian and security threat. The subject of analysis in this paper will be legal provisions for the activation of Army units in crisis situations and specific activities and challenges Macedonian Army faced during the second half of 2015 and 2016 in relation to the refugee crisis. The recommendations in this paper are aimed at re-evaluation and completion of certain legal possibilities for the competences of institutions in dealing with crisis situations and appropriate use of units of the Army of Republic of Macedonia.

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