Pressure mounts amid surge in migrant flows
The refugee center in Shengjin in Albania, where irregular migrants that reached Italy will be transferred. Rome and Athens react to Berlin’s pressure for a specific reference to the reactivation of Dublin in the conclusions of Thursday’s European Council on migration. At the same time, the Eastern Mediterranean route is the most popular for migrants as 45,610 people crossed into the country from Turkey in the first nine months of 2024, a 15% increase compared to last year. The majority of arrivals are from Syria, Afghanistan and Egypt, entering either via the Greek islands or the Evros border. September alone saw 6,754 people crossing into Greece, with an additional 2,461 arriving in the first half of October. The rapid influx is placing a heavy strain on Greek island facilities, raising concerns that the current asylum and refugee centers may soon reach full capacity. Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos acknowledged the pressure, particularly on islands in the southeastern Aegean, such as the Dodecanese. He reiterated the need for enhanced cooperation between Greece and Turkey to crack down on smuggling networks facilitating these crossings. Panagiotopoulos also highlighted the importance of enforcing the 2016 EU-Turkey agreement, which includes provisions for returning migrants to Turkey. [Reuters]
