All News on Social Issues in Greece

Austria Calls for Closing Migrant Route through Italy, Too

Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz has called for stepping up border controls to shut off the Mediterranean route leading through Italy to central Europe following the closure of the Western Balkan route for migrants.

The sealing off of the Balkan route benefited Germany, says German Chancellor Merkel

Despite the negative election results on ‘Super Sunday’ in 3 major German provinces by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, the CDU and the rise of the anti-immigrant right party AFD, the Chancellor’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert said Monday the open immigration policy adopted by the German government would continue.

Stranded Refugees Find Alternative Way into Macedonia

Tensions rose on Monday as refugees and migrants who had been stranded for weeks at a camp inside Greece walked along the borderline and managed to cross over into the southern Macedonian village of Moin, where police and troops had been deployed in an attempt to stop them, media reported.

EU implementation report claims drop in refugee flow

An implementation report on the EU-Turkey joint action plan seeking to tackle the growing refugee flows into Europe has highlighted that the number of arrivals decreased from more than 200,000 to less than 100,000 from October 2015 to January this year, thanks to the commitment of both sides.

EC Takes Note of Bulgaria's Demand to Avert Re-routing of Migrant Flow from Turkey - BNR

The European Commission has stopped short of supporting explicitly Bulgaria's request for guarantees for the security of the country's border with Turkey in a deal on migration between the EU and Ankara expected to be finalized at the end of the week, public radio broadcaster BNR reported on Monday.

Ai Weiwei brings grand piano to refugee field

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei set up a white grand piano in a muddy, rain-drenched refugee camp on the Greek-Macedonian border March 12, allowing a young Syrian woman to tinkle the ivories for the first time in years.

Deputy Defence Minister Vitsas admits refugees will stay in Greece

Greece’s Deputy Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas confessed that most of the refugees currently trapped in Greece would stay in the country up to 2 years, in an interview to newspaper Financial Times.

Photos of the squalid life at Idomeni refugee camp (pics)

A series of photos from the refugee camp at Idomeni in northern Greece captures the wretched conditions the people are living in. Over 12 thousand people are at the mercy of the nature’s elements. The camp has turned into a swamp after the recent deterioration of weather in the past 2 days.

Greek Finance Ministry optimistic a deal with ‘Quartet’ could close by March 25

The Greek Finance Ministry delegation seemed optimistic that a deal could be reached before March 25 with the country’s creditors, the ‘Quartet’, following their Sunday talks. Greece is trying to reach an agreement in negotiations with its creditors to pass an assessment as part of conditions laid down for in a bailout plan agreed upon in the summer of 2015.

The muddy waters of Idomeni

During the last few days we have been flooded with pictures showing the everyday ordeal of almost 15,000 refugees/migrants whose journey towards Europe came to a forced stop on the border of Greece and Macedonia (FYROM).

EC Prez. Juncker says EU must help Greece with refuge crisis

The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker was clear that the exterior borders of the EU were not national borders of one country, while stressed that the EU should help Greece in dealing with the refugee crisis in an interview to RTL TV in Luxembourg. Juncker defended the political decisions of German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying she was right.

Greece under huge pressure: Austria says Mediterranean route should be blocked

Greece finds itself in an even more precarious position on the refugee crisis. After the de facto sealing off of the western Balkan route, Austria has called for the closing of the Mediterranean sea route. A total of 9,000 refugees and immigrants on the islands of Greece ready to cross over into the mainland and continue their journey to the north of Europe.