Berlin and Athens have reached an agreement that will allow Germany to return asylum seekers to Greece, a German Interior Ministry spokesperson said on Friday. The agreement will extend to asylum seekers registered in the Eurodac system the spokesperson said. “We have reached an agreement with Greece, the interior ministries …
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Two Ukrainians sentenced to 180 years for smuggling migrants to Greece
Two Ukrainians imprisoned in Greece for 180 years for smuggling migrants into the country. Currently, there are about 150 Ukrainians in Greek prisons who are convicted on similar charges. A court in Greece has sentenced Serhiy Shvayuk, a musician of the Ivano-Frankivsk band Perkalaba, and his friend Petro Lytvynchuk to …
Read More »19 drowned, at least 28 missing in migrants shipwreck north off Cyprus
For one more time, the sea becomes the deep blue grave for men, women and children trying to flee the conflict in Syria and seek a better, peaceful life. At least 19 people were drowned when a boat carrying 150 refugees and migrants sank off Yalusa located in the occupied …
Read More »“Europe is not what you expect it to be” say frustrated migrants
The dream of a Europe that can meet one’s needs can turn to a nightmare and frustrate the thousands of migrants seeking a better future away from their home. Website InfoMigrants spoke with a Pakistani national a day before he returned to his home country on a ticket he bought …
Read More »Merkel & Seehofer agree on “migrants’ transit centers” in the borders with Austria
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and her rebellious interior minister from Bavarian CSU, Horst Seehofer, reached a compromise on migration at almost literally the eleventh hour Monday, averting a government crisis for the time being. Mr. Seehofer, who threatened to resign the previous day, will stay in office. The two agreed …
Read More »Commission to give additional €45.6mn to Greece & Spain for migrants
The European Commission has awarded an additional €45.6 million in emergency assistance to support Spain and Greece respond to the migratory challenges they face. Spain will receive €25.6 million to improve the reception capacity for arrivals at its southern coast and in Ceuta and Melilla as well as to help …
Read More »Switzerland reject migrants’ relocation from Greece and Italy
Switzerland has rejected a second asylum seeker relocation programme proposed by the European Union to relieve the burden on frontier countries like Italy and Greece. According to the SonntagsBlick paper, a spokesperson from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) has confirmed that currently Switzerland has no plans to renew its commitment to …
Read More »Ambassador Ploetner denies “migrants’ returns trade” between Germany and Greece
German Ambassador to Greece Jens Ploetner has vehemently rejected speculations that Berlin traded with Athens to accept migrants’ returns in exchange of suspension of VAT hikes on islands hit by the Refugee crisis. In an interview with Kathimerini, Ploetner vehemently denied speculation that the name deal signed between Greece and …
Read More »Greece ready to sign deal with Merkel to take back migrants, says Tsipras
Greece’s Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, is about to make a present of a very special political kind to German Chancellor Angela Merkel: He will give her a helping hand, sign an agreement with her to take back asylum seekers and save her fragile coalition with anti-migration CSU. Tsipras said he …
Read More »Greece hosts 58,000 refugees and migrants in early June, says UNHCR
The number of refugees, asylum seekers and people with no citizenship in Greece totaled 58,000 in early June, according to figures released by the Greek chapter of the UNHCR on Wednesday, World Refugee Day. Sabine Wahning, head of the Thessaloniki office, says that there is a rising trend in the …
Read More »Germany, Mogherini ignorant about Turkey-Greece Migrants’ Readmission and link to EU deal
Caught red-handed. They don’t know what’s the EU law on Migrants’ readmission, its connection to bilateral agreement between Greece and Turkey. The EU, Germany and the NATO got it all wrong, while the Commission said that the bilateral agreement is “point of reference” to EU-Turkey deal. The European Union and …
Read More »Six migrants die in car crash in N. Greece; three children among the dead
At least six people died and ten were injured when a car carrying migrants crashed in Egnatia highway around 9 o’ clock on Friday morning. The vehicle left the road, ‘flew’ over the barriers and crashed on the rocks. Among the dead are three children, some of the injured are …
Read More »Turkey stops readmission of migrants from Greece as retaliation for release of 8 Turkish soldiers
Turkey has suspended the migrant readmission deal with Greece in response to a Greek court’s decision to release eight former Turkish servicemen who fled to the country one day after Turkey’s July 2016 coup attempt, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. During a meeting with Turkish reporters, Cavusoglu was asked whether …
Read More »Greek police relocates hundreds of migrants from camps close to Patras port
In an operation that started as early as 5:30 Tuesday morning, Greek police evacuated hundreds of migrants from makeshift camps at two abandoned factories near the the port of Patras. A total of 563 migrants were transferred with buses to state facilities where authorities are to check their documents. Dozens …
Read More »Shipping company urges Patras Port authorities to take measures against migrants
A big shipping company is allegedly threatening to halt its route schedules to Italy if authorities do not take measures against migrants at the port of Patras, in North-West Peloponnese. The company Grimaldi Lines has reportedly said it will have its ferries operate from the port of Igoumenitsa in West …
Read More »20-year-old Afghan dies in clashes among migrants in Patras
A 20-year-old Afghan migrant died after suffering heavy injuries during serious clashes among migrants in the port area of Patras on Saturday night. The young man was found with heavy head injuries and was transferred to the hospital in the city in North-West Peloponnese where he passed away despite doctors’ …
Read More »“Italy and Greece allow migrants slip to Europe,” claims Dutch Migration Minister
The Dutch government has accused Italy and Greece of allowing two-thirds of migrants arriving on their shores to slip into the Europe by failing to register them properly as the EU rift over the migrant crisis deepens. Dutch migration minister, Mark Harbers, made his remarks as he sought to underline …
Read More »“It’s a body without a name”: The challenge of identifying dead migrants
Hundreds of people have lost their lives trying to reach Europe for a better future. Many lives have been lost not only in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea but also in the rushing waters of Evros river, the natural border between Greece and Turkey. As the bodies of the …
Read More »Lesvos: 17 locals to be charged for attacks against refugees, migrants and police
Police authorities on the island of Lesvos have prepared case files against 17 locals for the attacks against refugees, migrants and police officers last Sunday. According to local media, 5 of the suspects will be charged with felony charges, while the remaining 12 will face charges for misdemeanors offenses. The …
Read More »Dozens of migrants rescued in S&R operation NW off Samos
Dozens of migrants and refugees on an inflatable boat were accompanied to the port of Karlovasi on the island of Samos on Monday morning. One of the passengers had reportedly called the international rescue phone number saying that they were in dire situation. A Search and Rescue operation was launched …
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