EU calls for Greece relief as migrant arrivals hit 1 million

[unhappycamper]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2016/03/16/calls-for-greece-relief-migrant-arrivals-hit-million/UceM6I4YpKtQifxwPG5ehN/story.html

EU calls for Greece relief as migrant arrivals hit 1 million
By Derek Gatopoulos and Nicholas Paphitis Associated Press
March 16, 2016

ATHENS, Greece — The European Union told member states Wednesday they ‘‘urgently need to deliver’’ on commitments to resettle more refugees on the continent, as the number of refugees arriving in Greece since the start of 2015 reached the 1 million mark.

The demand came on the eve of a summit of leaders from the EU and Turkey that aims to try and limit the number of refugees coming to Europe.

‘‘We need to see a substantial increase in relocations in the coming days and weeks,’’ EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said. ‘‘With the humanitarian situation in Greece getting more acute every day, member states urgently need to deliver on their commitments and prevent a further deterioration of the situation for refugees in Greece.’’

U.N. refugee agency envoy Angelina Jolie was in Athens on Wednesday to visit overcrowded refugee shelters, as the number of refugees stranded in Greece neared 44,000.

--

Greece is in a no win situation: refugees are coming in over the transom, much of the route that refugees are either closed or severely limiting incoming refugees, and Greece is currently enslaved by the IMF.