The Council, in full cooperation with the Commission, having in mind the necessity to safeguard the functioning of the Schengen area and to reduce migratory pressures, agreed on a series of measures to implement fully the orientations already agreed by the European Council and the Council in compliance with EU acquis.
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An estimated 20,000 refugees and migrants are currently on the Islands of Chios, Kalymnos, Kos, Lesvos, Leros and Samos, straining limited reception facilities and forcing many, including women and children, to sleep out in the open.
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EP President Martin Schulz travelled yesterday [Nov-5] to the Greek island of Lesvos in order to visit a refugee registration and identification centre where almost 2,500 people are recorded on a daily basis. Speaking at the so-called hotspot at Moria, he said: “We must urgently reinforce efforts to complete hotspots. To be effective, however, all member states must take part in the relocation.”
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With thousands of refugees and migrants continuing to arrive in Europe via the Mediterranean each day as winter approaches, the UN refugee agency is appealing to donors for US$96.15 million in additional support for Greece and affected countries in the Balkans.
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It was the crack of dawn when 30 asylum-seekers from Syria and Iraq gathered around the departure gate at Athens International Airport on Wednesday, bound for a new life in a new land. The atmosphere was full of expectation. Some could barely contain their excitement, others were more reserved.
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Thousands of refugees and migrants in the Balkans, stranded due to delays at border crossings and registration points, have been exposed to conditions that pose a real threat to their health as assistance fails to meet minimum standards. Unless adequate protections are urgently put in place, MSF warns that thousands of pregnant women, young children and elderly people will be exposed to extremely challenging conditions this winter with potentially life threatening implications.
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“A very significant number” of Eritreans are fleeing a country “that is not in a situation of conflict or unrest” to seek a life free from fear, the head of a UN-appointed commission of inquiry on human rights in the east African nation told the UN General Assembly last week [Oct-29].
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Following a meeting at the foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó discussed…
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In the most serious incident, a wooden boat that passengers said had been carrying at least 300 people sank in gale-force winds off the north coast of Lesvos island Wednesday evening. The Greek Coast Guard reported it rescued 242 people from the stricken vessel and authorities confirmed seven deaths.
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The real divide revealed by today’s migration challenges to the EU is between “pros”, who want to use the EU to solve these challenges, and “antis”, who want to use them to dissolve the EU.
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