Greece comes under fire over EU-Turkey deal

Two years since Turkey and the European Union signed a deal aimed at curbing human trafficking across the Aegean, Greece has come under fire for essentially undermining the agreement by transferring large numbers of migrants from the Aegean islands to the mainland and returning a relatively small number to Turkey.

A report in German newspaper Die Welt on Monday claimed that the large number of transfers to the Greek mainland could be giving out the message that the road to Greece, and Europe, is open, encouraging more migrants and their smugglers. The stance of the leftist-led government could be undermining the agreement, according to Die Welt, which claimed that Turkey is honoring the deal.

The fact that a European refugee relocation program has ended means that migrants can now only apply for asylum in Greece.

The slow rate at which asylum applications are...