Refugee crisis

The EU on Friday approved a further 30 million euros to help Western Balkan countries to deal with the aftermath of the refugee crisis.

The funds will go to Serbia, Macedonia and other Western Balkan countries to "help to further improve border and migration management capabilities."

After warnings that the country may have to brace itself to receive a wave of refugees and migrants, Bosnia is preparing locations for the possible settlement of about 5,000 refugees if the Balkan "refugee route" reactivates in future.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto has said the security of the European Union depends on Turkey's stability.

Speaking to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency on the eve of the Turkey-Hungary 5th Joint Economic Commission meeting, Szijjarto said Hungary respects Turkey for housing the refugees.

Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy Ioannis Mouzalas said normalcy on the refugee crisis did not depend on Greece, but the actual refugee flows and Greece’s responsibilities arising from EU regulations. Speaking before the parliamentary committee, Mr.

State hospital doctors on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, which has been hard particularly hit by the refugee crisis, have complained that nongovernmental organizations receiving European Union funding to help migrants are not doing enough, resulting in them being forced to bear an excessive burden.

The European Commission (EC) will release an extra 3.9 million euros to Greece to deal with the refugee and migrant crisis. The extra-ordinary funding, which will be managed by the Greek Defence Ministry, will go for the improvement of refugee hosting facilities.

Alternate Minister for Immigration Policy Ioannis Mouzalas claimed circles were focusing on the refugee-migrant crisis with the intent of overthrowing SYRIZA. Speaking to radio “Flash 96.0 FM”, Mr. Mouzalas argued that there was an attempt for his “character assassination” by the media.

More than 1,200 unaccompanied child migrants are on waiting lists for a spot at one of the country's special hostels for vulnerable children, aid workers told a seminar organized by Doctors of the World in Athens Friday.

A fresh bout of unrest broke out at one of the reception centers for migrants on the Aegean island of Chios on Friday after heavy rain led to widespread flooding that soaked the tents of many refugee families.

European cities are joining forces to tackle challenges arising from the continent's refugee crisis, in an initiative launched this week in Athens, through which hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants have passed since the start of 2015.