Greece considering emergency housing measures amid spike in migrant numbers
Greece’s migration minister has said the government is considering emergency measures to house migrants and refugees confined to Greek islands over the winter months following a roughly four-fold increase in the number of daily arrivals from Turkey.
Yannis Mouzalas said on Wednesday that average arrivals had jumped since mid-August from about 50 per day to more than 200.
#Refugees and #migrants arrived at the port of #Piraeus from the #Greek island of #Samos. #Greece #Migration @YannisKolesidis pic.twitter.com/pzbnVPcvsd
— Yannis Kolesidis (@YannisKolesidis) October 21, 2017
He added that the government could use ferries or military ships to provide additional housing space if alternatives provided by local municipalities were exhausted.
Under a 2016 deal between Turkey and the European Union, migrants and refugees reaching Greek islands from the Turkish mainland are not allow to travel to the Greek mainland before their asylum claims are examined.
Tens of migrants to be transferred from #Oinofyta camp after Greek govt decided its closure #greece #refugeesgr pic.twitter.com/N0QLEWU2RS
— 𝙺𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚜 𝙺𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚜 (@KallergisK) November 1, 2017
Several dozen migrants protested on Wednesday in Athens against delays in relocation to other EU countries.
AP
