Exodus thousands trying to start new life in the EU

Waiting for the midnight train from Macedonia: Haunting images show desperate plight of thousands trying to start new life in the EU, as Western Europe turns its back on migrant crisis Refugees from the Middle East, Asia and Africa arrived at the station in Tabanovci village late last night The migrants were seen walking along the railway tracks heading for the nearby border with Serbia From there they will travel on to Western European nations such as Germany, France and Great Britain The images emerged as it was revealed the EU has fallen well short of targets to take on 40,000 refugees. These haunting images show the plight of thousands of desperate migrants as they wander along railways tracks in Macedonia in the hope of catching a train bound for the West and starting a new life in the European Union. Scores of Middle Eastern, Asian and African refugees were photographed arriving at the station in the village of Tabanovci late last night in the hope of travelling on to Serbia and eventually more prosperous Western European nations. Many of the migrants have fled rape and massacre in their respective countries – often at the hands of terror groups like ISIS – risking their lives to reach southern European nations such a Greece on flimsy migrant boats. From there many go on to make the arduous land journey to Germany, France and Britain occasionally sneaking onto trains and lorries, or otherwise simply spending their days walking, westward bound. The images come as it emerged that European Union interior ministers fell well short of finding takers for the relocation of 40,000 refugees who have made perilous boat trips across the Mediterranean into Italy and Greece. EU countries have committed to relocating a total of 32,256 refugees from the two southern European nations, with Germany taking the biggest share at 10,500. Some nations, like Britain and Denmark, are legally not bound to cooperate while Austria and Hungary said they would not take any. Following the deaths of 700 people on a fishing boat heading for Italy from Libya in April, EU leaders called at a summit in June for agreement on the relocation by the end of July – a potentially divisive move in some countries where far-right parties and populist anti EU movements are gaining ground. EU home affairs ministers agreed in Brussels on Monday to respect the summit’s indications by committing to the relocation of 40,000 migrants forecast to arrive in Greece and Italy over the next two years, but the actual numbers for each member state will be defined in another meeting by December. Some 150,000 migrants fleeing wars and poverty have reached Europe by sea so far in 2015, the International Organization for Migration said, most of them arriving in Italy and Greece – two countries already hit by a long economic slump. Hundreds have drowned on the journey.