European solidarity and distribution between EU Member States of thousands of refugees and migrants illegally entering Greece on a daily basis
| 15 April 2015 |
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| Question for written answer to the Commission Rule 130 Notis Marias (ECR) |
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The wars in Middle East and North Africa are creating massive waves of refugees seeking safe haven in the EU.
This has led to a dramatic surge in the number of migrants illegally entering Greece and forced to remain there against their will under the ‘Dublin III’ Regulation. As a result, Greece is effectively being turned into a dumping ground and is unable to cope with the growing refugee influx.
In February and March 2015, the Aegean Islands absorbed a further 10 762 refugees, with 742 arriving in Lesbos in January, 1 035 in February, and 3 403 in March. Government sources currently estimate that a total of 100 000 refugees will be entering Greece in 2015.
Greece is in danger of becoming the new Lampedusa. In the name of European solidarity, it is therefore necessary to repeal the ‘Dublin III’ Regulation and assign refugees (and migrants illegally present on Greek territory) to other EU Member States based on their respective areas, populations, GDP levels and unemployment rates.
In view of this:
| — | What measures will the Commission take in cooperation with the Greek authorities to address the growing refugee crisis? |
| — | When will it seek to initiate legislation ensuring the fair distribution of refugee and migrant flows between EU Member States? |
Source: European Parliament
| Answer given by Mr Avramopoulos on behalf of the Commission | |
| The Commission is following the recent developments in the Mediterranean closely and is aware of the increase in arrivals at the Greek borders.
The European Agenda on Migration adopted on 13 May 2015 first defines immediate measures to prevent human tragedies and to deal with emergencies. In view of addressing the special situation of Italy and Greece, on 27 May 2015 the Commission adopted a proposal for a Council Decision to trigger an emergency relocation from Italy and Greece of 40 000 persons in clear need of international protection. In addition to this, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) continues to provide special support to Greece following the signing of a further plan in May. The Commission will also reinforce the EU emergency assistance to relieve Member States under significant pressure and utilise in a more effective manner the capacities of EU Agencies, such as Frontex and EASO. Greece should receive about EUR 446.5 million in basic allocations for its national programmes under the new Home Affairs Funds and emergency funding could be mobilised in particular to improve the first-reception capacity. The European Agenda on Migration also announces that when the Commission undertakes its evaluation of the Dublin system in 2016, it will also be able to draw on the experience from the relocation and resettlement mechanisms. This will help to determine whether a revision of the legal parameters of Dublin will be needed to achieve a fairer distribution of asylum-seekers in Europe. |
Source: European Parliament
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