Latest News from Greece
Migrant Backlog Builds up at Greece's Border with Macedonia
Up to 10,000 migrants and refugees were stuck on Greece's border with Macedonia on Tuesday, waiting to be allowed to continue their journey to western European countries, in which they want to seek asylum, newswires reported.
No sign of slowdown in migrant flow from Turkey to EU
Figures shared by Europe's border control agency have painted a gloomy picture regarding ongoing efforts to stanch the influx of migrants and refugees from Turkey to the European Union, with the head of the agency confirming that the trend is not showing any signs of slowing down.
Greece sends 70 migrants back to Turkey
Greece sent around 70 Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian migrants who illegally entered the country back to Turkey on March 1.
Greece on the verge of diplomatic incident with Slovakia
Greece’s place in Europe and the management of the refugee crisis should not be used for domestic political confrontations, foreign ministry spokesman Konstantinos Koutras told journalists on Tuesday responding to a question on the critical comments made against Greece by the leaders of Slovakia’s political parties during a TV debate.
Europe Faces Humanitarian Crisis over Migrant Build-up in Greece: UNHCR
The UN Refugee Agency has warned of an imminent humanitarian crisis in Europe, largely of Europe's own making, after the number of migrants and refugees stranded in Greece built up rapidly over the past weeks.
Chancellor Merkel warns of chaos in Greece and euro risks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe’s discord over refugees threatens the euro warning European Union leaders that the situation will be very difficult.
“If we disintegrate into small countries again, a common currency will be very difficult,” Merkel said at a party rally on Monday in Volkmarsen, Germany.
UNHCR warns of possible impending "humanitarian catastrophe"
The rapid piling up of migrants who are trapped on the northern borders of Greece could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe, according to UNHCR.
The UN refugee agency said that so far this year more 131,724 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean, more than in the first six months of 2015.
Turkish exports rise for first time in 14 months
Turkey's exports increased slightly in February compared to the same month last year, after 14 straight months of decline, the Turkey Exporters' Assembly (TIM) reported on March 1.
Institutions’ return to Athens still unclear
The Euroworking Group meeting held on Monday in Brussels with the participation of the heads of the institutions did not reach any agreement on when the ‘Quartet’ will return to Athens so as to move a step closer to the conclusion of the program review.
Trips of Bulgarians Abroad Increased by 4 % Y/Y in January
According to the latest figures of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) released on Monday, Bulgarians completed 306 856 trips abroad in the first month of this year, which represented an increase of 4 % compared to January 2015.
PM Tsipras admits gov’t was not ready to deal with the refugee flow
The preparation of European Union and UN to address a possible humanitarian crisis, as well as the fact that FYROM has essentially closed its border with Greece confirm that thousands of refugees and immigrants are officially trapped in Greece.
Bulgarian PM Hopes Greek Farmers Will Not Stage Blockades in Future
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov expressed hope that Greek farmers will discontinue their practice of staging blockades at the border with Bulgaria.
Borisov thanked the Greek farmers for lifting the latest blockade even though this was achieved only once Bulgaria had issued an ultimatum.
Local authorities asked to provide facilities and spaces for refugees all over Greece
The Greek government is looking for places to host the thousands of refugees and immigrants who are already in Greece, as well as the high number of people expected to arrive from Turkey in the next days, since the neighboring country does nothing to stem the refugee flow.
Migrants try to storm Greece-Macedonia border fence
Hundreds of refugees on Feb. 29 tried to break through a border fence into Macedonia from Greece, where more than 7,000 people are stranded, as anger mounts over barriers to entry imposed on migrants flooding into Europe.
