Refugee

Greece is to begin vaccinating young refugees from Syria against polio because of fears that the infectious disease, which was officially wiped out more than a decade ago, may be reintroduced to the country by people fleeing the war-torn state.

Number of fake asylum seekers "reduced"

BELGRADE -- The number of fake asylum seekers from Serbia has been reduced since the beginning of the year, including the number of those seeking asylum in Germany.

There the problem was "the most acute," Nenad Banović, president of a commission tasked with monitoring the visa-free regime, said on Wednesday.

BELGRADE - Nenad Banovic, president of the Commission tasked with monitoring the visa-free regime, stated on Wednesday that the number of fake asylum seekers from Serbia has reduced since the beginning of the year, including the number of those seeking asylum in Germany, where the problem was the most acute.

Greece has also committed serious violations against asylum seekers and immigrants entering its territory from Turkey, a new report by Amnesty International has argued.

Serbia safe country of origin, asylum requests "groundless"

BERLIN -- The German government adopted on Wednesday an asylum bill that declares Serbia a safe country of origin.

This makes asylum requests by Serbian citizens groundless in principle and shortening the procedure of repatriating asylum-seekers.

An influx of asylum seekers from Syria has exacerbated border security challenges, raised interethnic tensions, and challenged underfunded state agencies, said a US report. 

The annual US Department of State report on terrorism, released on Wednesday, notes that there are concerns that this flow of people could allow some foreign fighters to transit in and out of Bulgaria. 

BERLIN - The German government adopted on Wednesday an asylum bill that declares Serbia a safe country of origin, making asylum requests by Serbian citizens groundless in principle and shortening the procedure of repatriating asylum-seekers.

The Bulgarian Red Cross expressed support for the Interior Ministry over a Human Rights Watch report harshly criticizing the country´s immigration policies.

The European Union said Tuesday it would promote common guidelines across the bloc for the health screening of incoming migrants and refugees.

“My intention is to set up a working group... to create guidelines on what (diseases) to screen for, when and how,” EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg said during a two-day informal meeting of EU health ministers in Athens.

Human Rights Watch is a fraudulent organization which cynically manipulates public opinion, president of Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees Nikolai Chirpanliev claimed.