Few takers for refugee relocation from Greece

Only 15 Syrian refugees in Greece have so far applied to be relocated to Luxembourg, which currently holds the rotating European Union presidency, Kathimerini has learned.

The Central European country has offered to take in a total of 30 Syrians from Greece but there has been a lack of interest so far.

Sources said Greek officials are expected to travel to Lesvos on Wednesday in search of candidates for relocation, while an official from Luxembourg is also due to visit Greece to encourage Syrians to sign up for a transfer.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday that more than half a million refugees have reached Greece this year by sea. The majority of the 502,000 migrants are from Syria.