New EU scheme to provide rent, cash cards, for refugees in Greece, as tension mounts

Record ID: 904349

  • Title: New EU scheme to provide rent, cash cards, for refugees in Greece, as tension mounts
  • Date: 27th July 2017
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JULY 27, 2017) (REUTERS) PANEL OF (LEFT TO RIGHT) UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE IN GREECE PHILIPPE LECLERC, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER DIMITRIS AVRAMOPOULOS, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER CHRISTOS STYLIANIDES, GREEK MIGRATION MINISTER YANNIS MOUZALAS, AND ATHENS MAYOR GEORGE KAMINIS HOLDING A NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) EU COMMISSIONER FOR HUMANITARIAN AID AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT CHRISTOS STYLIANIDES SAYING: "For refugees and migrants, it is a way to better integrate into Greek society. As one mayor said, it's one thing to live in a camp and another thing to live with dignity." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNHCR REPRESENTATIVE IN GREECE PHILIPPE LECLERC HOLDING UP PRE-PAID CARD SAYING: "Although 16,500 people have left for relocation, finally, after a difficult start - but they are leaving - some will also leave - refugees - for family reunification, but many others who will get refugee status, or subsidy protection will remain in Greece, and this scheme, as well as the support that is provided through the credit card, the pre-paid cards that now 34,000 beneficiaries are having in Greece every month, this will allow Greece to, even in this difficult economic, social situation it faces to prepare integration."
  • Embargoed: 10th August 2017 16:44
  • Keywords: migrants refugees EU Commission pre-paid cards home rentals islands
  • Location: ATHENS, LESBOS AND CHIOS, GREECE
  • City: ATHENS, LESBOS AND CHIOS, GREECE
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016RHUSEF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The European Commission will give Greece 209 million euros in new emergency aid to help migrants and refugees stranded in the country rent homes and use a cash card for daily needs, it said on Thursday (July 27) during a news conference in Athens.
    About 62,000 refugees and migrants have been stranded in Greece since European countries closed their borders in March last year, and tensions have risen in overcrowded camps, lately marred by violence.
    The scheme will provide 24,000 rented homes in cities and towns in Greece. Pre-paid credit cards will be given to migrants and refugees for basics such as food, school and transportation.
    EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Christos Stylianides said the scope is to better integrate migrants and refugees into Greek society. UNHCR representative in Greece Philippe Leclerc said the scheme will contribute to solving tensions in overcrowded camps, which he said have increased as of late due to new arrivals on islands such as Lesbos, Chios and Samos.
    Camps on the islands have seen protests and violence in recent months due to overcrowded conditions and the slow process of relocation and re-unification to other EU countries. Leclerc said the process was finally moving with 16,500 people having been relocated from Greece.
    EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said Europe was being tested by the migration crisis.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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