EUROPE-MIGRANTS/EU COMMISSION EU pledges help for Greece to tackle "particularly urgent" migrant crisis

Record ID: 144045

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/EU COMMISSION EU pledges help for Greece to tackle "particularly urgent" migrant crisis
  • Date: 14th August 2015
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (AUGUST 14, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS AT NEWS BRIEFING
  • Embargoed: 29th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7IFUR80K6K6W5Q71QSZ13FJ68
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The European Commission promised on Friday (August 14) to do what it could to help Greece cope with its migrant crisis, while insisting that migration control was fundamentally the responsibility of each member state.
    Greece has appeared overwhelmed in recent weeks as an unprecedented number of new arrivals fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Asia land on its islands, with scuffles with police breaking out on Tuesday on the holiday island of Kos.
    European Commissioner responsible for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, visited his native Greece on Thursday where he met with the country's interior minister among others to plan a response to what he said was a Europe-wide problem.
    "The situation in the country I know best has become particularly urgent. Almost 50,000 migrants arrived in July, compared to less (than) 6,000 last year for the same month," he said.
    "Managing the situation is of course first and foremost a sovereign responsibility of the member states. We provide help where we can and to the greatest extent possible without of course replacing national responsibilities," he added.
    The meeting addressed concerns about the funding of the emergency response in a country which is itself still reeling from years of financial turmoil and a crippling recession.
    The Commission on Monday agreed plans to provide 474 million euros in aid to Greece, with the first tranche of 30 million euros being transferred as soon as the competent management authority has been set up by the Greek government.
    Separately, a request for emergency funding of 2.74 million euros under the internal security fund would be fast-tracked by the Commission by Tuesday or Wednesday, Avramopoulos said.
    A "hotspot" would be set up in the mainland port city of Piraeus, mirroring the system already in place in Italy and a meeting between all European agencies active in Greece would be held on August 25-26.
    Avramopoulos also committed to visiting the French coastal town of Calais, a separate migrant flashpoint where thousands have camped out in slums around the town making nightly attempts to breach security on roads and railways to cross the Channel into Britain.
    "No country in Europe can really address this issue alone. It doesn't matter if it's a big country or a small country, it's a European problem and it needs a European response and my presence there (in Calais) will be a sign, a signal that Europe is present," he said, adding he hoped to visit in the coming days.
    The funding approved for Greece was part of 2.4 billion euros ($2.6 billion) of aid over six years for countries that have struggled to cope with a surge in numbers of immigrants.
    Italy is to receive the most aid - nearly 560 million euros.
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