Greece
Greece
Tsipras: Tusk's Proposal on Refugee Quotas is 'Unfortunate'
The proposal by European Council President Donald Tusk to scrap mandatory quotas on relocating asylum seekers across the European Union, is "unfortunate, untimely and unnecessary", Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in an interview with state TV channel ERT3, that...
Diplomacy
Tusk Vs. Avramopoulos in Latest EU Refugee Quotas Feud
The deep political, economic and cultural divide between North and South in the EU has led to yet another feud - this time on the issue of refugee quotas for the EU countries.
Rivals from the two sides of the...
Greece
European Court to Issue Refugee Reception Quotas Decision This Week
The EU Court of Justice will decide on the dispute started by Hungary and Slovakia, which oppose the legitimacy of the quotas plan for the reception of tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the EU.
The plan was launched...
Greece
PM Mitsotakis Says Greece Now Faces Migration, Not Refugee, Crisis
Greece is now facing a migrant issue and not a refugee issue, as was the case in 2015, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday in his address to the Greek Parliament.
The PM explained that the majority of the...
Greece
Greek Ambassador Returns to Vienna After Spat Over Refugees
The Greek ambassador returned to Austria on Wednesday, putting an official end to an acrimonious argument that began after the shut-down of the Balkan route to central Europe for migrants.
Austria was the country that organized the closing of the...
Greece
Mayors of Barcelona, Lesvos and Lambedusa Sign a Cooperation Agreement on Refugee Issue
The mayor of Lesvos Spyros Galinos visited Barcelona to sign on Tuesday a cooperation and friendship agreement of the highest importance and symbolism that links three municipalities; Mytilene, Barcelona and Lambedusa.
"Our aim is to promote Lesvos through an international...
Greece
Greece and Europe are Becoming Numb to Refugee Tragedies
It was only a few months ago when the tragic death of little Aylan Kurdi became front-page news all over the world. Millions of words were written about the boy and the sad picture of him on the shore...
Greece
Greek Migration Min: EU Refugee Relocation Program Undermined by Racism
Greece's Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said that the European Union program for refugee relocation is hindered by some countries that show signs of racism.
Mouzalas told Reuters that the EU must not cater to countries that want to pick and...
Greece
EU Agrees Greece and Italy Should Not Shoulder Refugee Burden Alone
Despite disagreements over quotas, European Union member states agreed that the refugee issue is a shared responsibility and that Greece and Italy should not shoulder the burden alone.
After a marathon meeting on the refugee issue, European leaders agreed on...
Greece
European Commission Chief Outlines Plan to Tackle Refugee Problem in Greece
"Europe is the baker on Kos who offers bread to hungry refugees; Europe is the people who welcome refugees at the Munich train station," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, addressing the European Parliament.
In his first annual State of...
Greece
Greek PM: Success of EU-Turkey Deal Will Depend on Low Migration Flows
The deal achieved between the European Union and Turkey was a diplomatic success for Greece in collaboration with Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday after the European Council meeting on the migration crisis. He warned, however,...
Greece
Dimitris Avramopoulos: 'EU's Migration System Risks Complete Breakdown'
The European Union’s migration commissioner warned Thursday the block’s migration system risks a complete breakdown. Underscoring the deepening EU rifts over the issue, Greece has recalled its ambassador to Austria after not being invited to a migrant meeting.
Speaking after...
Greece
EU Summit Reveals a Divided Continent
The European Union Council meeting currently under way takes place against a background of rising tension among EU member states.
The 28 EU leaders that have gathered in Brussels for the two-day summit are divided over a number of issues,...
Greece
Chancellor Merkel Sets Tone for EU Summit on Migration Crisis By Opposing Sealing Off Borders
Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that the pursuit of a common strategy for the management of EU’s external borders and the protection of the Schengen agreement will be the focus of the EU summit, which begins tomorrow in Brussels.
Speaking...