Europe

Home page

Europe

Greece to use EU money to open refugee centres

27 August 2015 18:24 (UTC +04:00)

According to Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy Tasia Christodoulopoulou, the country will receive the money next week. To date, Greece has received 2.7 million euro from the European Union to solve migration problems. The government will use the money to build centers for refugees and care centers for unaccompanied minors.

"People, who arrive in Greece, do not want to stay here for long. We grant asylum to those in need, but no one asks for it," Christodoulopoulou said.

Earlier in August, Macedonian authorities declared a state of emergency on its southern border with Greece and had to close its borders due to the influx of migrants and refugees into the country. Thousands spent the night near border checkpoints, while some attempted to make clandestine crossings into Macedonia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have previously stated that registration centers for the reception of refugees must established before the end of the year in Greece and Italy, which are often the first entry points for migrants fleeing to Europe.

Europe is currently facing a major migrant crisis. According to the EU border agency Frontex, 340,000 migrants have arrived in European Union countries since the beginning of 2015.