Latest News from Greece

Bulgaria's Police, Military to Carry Out Drill on SW Border

A joint exercise is to be conducted on Saturday in Southwestern Bulgaria, at the border with Greece and near the one in Macedonia, in light of potentially increasing migratory pressure.

The drill will be held in the region of Petrich, Sandanski and Kulata, the latter being a major border crossing point with Greece.

The West has to pay the price

To prevent the refugee inflow to Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel suggested the number of daily entries, which is now above 2,000, be decreased to three-digit figures. In other words, what Merkel wants is that a maximum number of 999 people should be allowed to enter Europe every day so that the Refugee Joint Action Plan can be applicable.

Refugee crisis: Greek political leaders united demand more actions by the EU and Turkey

After a meeting convened under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, on Friday, 5 of the leaders of the 7 that participated have signed a common statement on the refugee crisis.

Turkish Foreign Min. Cavusoglu downplays national sovereignty in face of refugees crisis!

On his official visit to Greece, Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu said that matters of national sovereignty are of secondary importance when it comes to rescuing refugees, on Friday, March 3. During the joint press conference held after a meeting with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias, the Turkish diplomat said “Whether it is your island, or my island?

EU unlocks first tranche of refugee aid in Turkey

The European Union has begun funding projects to meet the needs of Syrian refugees hosted inside Turkey and activated on March 4, 95 million euros out of the 3 billion euros the EU pledged last year to fund facilities for refugees.

European Commission awards 3.5 million euros to staff Greek hotspots

The European Commission on Friday announced 3.5 million euros in emergency funding for Greece to cover the running costs for human resources in the First Reception Centres that will be set up on the Greek islands of Kos, Lesvos, Samos, Chios and Leros.

European Commission paves the way for the return of thousands of immigrants to Greece

Greece faces a new danger in accordance with the ‘ Back to Schengen’ roadmap presented by European Commission which includes concrete steps needed to return order to the management of the EU’s external and internal borders.

Bulgarians Spent Over BGN 130 M on Trips During National Holiday

Bulgarians have spent more than BGN 130 M on trips in the days around the country's national holiday (Liberation Day) which was celebrated on Thursday.

According to figures of the Institute for tourism analyses and evaluation, more than BGN 80 M of them will be spent in Bulgaria, with the remaining BGN 50 M spent abroad.

IMF asks for 7-9bln new measures

Greece’s lenders are expected to return to Athens with common positions and demands.

Bulgaria's Army, Police to Conduct Joint Border Drills on Saturday

The joint training "Border 2016", which will assess the readiness of Bulgaria's army and police to react in the event of a heightened migrant pressure, will be conducted on Saturday in the region of Petrich, Sandanski and Kulata.

This was announced by the interior and defence ministries on Friday.

Suffocating situation created in migrant camps – Fears of epidemic outbreak

The refugee camps all over Greece are more than fully packed creating a suffocating situation, while Medecins Sans Frontières organization warns of the possibility of major epidemic outbreak and the government admits that more than 32,000 refugees and immigrants are stuck in the country with about 12,000 being in Idomeni and 7,000 on the Greek islands.