European Union

Refugees and immigrants continue to arrive in Greece, while the situation in northern Greece’s border remains chaotic. EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos stated on Saturday that about 100,000 immigrants and refugees will enter Greece until the end of March.

Over 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children have disappeared in Europe, the EU police agency Europol said on Jan. 31, fearing many have been whisked into sex trafficking rings or the slave trade.

Europol's press office confirmed to AFP the figures published in British newspaper The Observer, adding that they covered the last 18-24 months.    

The European Union has seen little evidence that Turkey has managed to reduce departures of migrants for Greek islands in the two weeks since it signed an agreement to do so, an EU document showed on Dec. 17.

The EU is to release further emergency humanitarian aid of €13 million, aimed at supporting refugees along the Western Balkans route.

Only days after the adoption of a new Aviation Strategy for Europe,  the European Commission updated the EU Air Safety List, the list of airlines that are subject to an operating ban or operational restrictions within the European Union. This list is essential to guarantee the highest level of air safety for European citizens.

The European Commission adopted on Monday a new Aviation Strategy for Europe aiming to boost the continent's economy, strengthen its industrial base and reinforce its leadership position in the world.

The Commission concluded that the measures already implemented as part of the bank’s existing restructuring plan of July 2014, in addition to those envisaged in the amended plan, will enable National Bank of Greece to ensure lending to the Greek economy in line with EU state aid rules, in particular the “2013 Banking Communication”, and the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive.

The EU border agency Frontex said on Thursday that it will deploy additional guards at Greece's border with Macedonia where migrants have been stranded for more than a week now.

The deployment of additional officers, who will assist with registration of migrants, will begin next week, Frontex said in a statement.

The Commission concluded that the measures already implemented as part of the bank’s existing restructuring plan of July 2014, in addition to those envisaged in the amended plan, will enable Piraeus Bank to ensure lending to the Greek economy in line with EU state aid rules, in particular the 2013 Banking Communication, and the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive.

The European Commission is set to increase in 2016 its humanitarian funding for education in emergencies to 4% of the EU’s overall humanitarian budget. The commitment was championed earlier this year by EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides, and has now found strong support from the European Parliament and EU Member States.