Yesterday, Greece has taken three actions to address the refugee crisis, activating EU mechanisms designed to assist in crisis situations. The country has activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to benefit from material support to help cope with the influx of refugees and asylum seekers in the country.
Greece has also agreed an operational plan with Frontex for a new operation at the Greek border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where the agency will assist with the registration of migrants. The deployment of additional officers will begin next week. Finally, Greece has put in a formal request for the deployment a Rapid Border Intervention Team operation to provide immediate border guard support at its external border in the Aegean islands. Frontex will now process the request as a matter of priority.
Over 50,000 people have arrived in Greece since 1 November. The scale is immense and the Commission is working very closely with the Greek authorities to assist them in this challenge. European Commission President Juncker asked the Director General for the Structural Reform Support Service to follow this process very closely and the Commission’s teams have been working hand in hand with the Greek authorities for months.
