MEPs to inspect conditions at refugee centers, camps in Greece

A delegation of 11 members of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee is expected to travel to Greece on May 18-20 to inspect open and closed refugee reception and processing facilities, the European body said in a press release on Friday.

The delegation will also be tasked with assessing the progress of the implementation of a deal between the European Union and Turkey to manage migrant flows to Europe.

The trip will include stops at the makeshift camp on Greece’s northern border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to investigate reports of squalid conditions and of progress in moving some 10,000 refugees and migrants to official facilities, as well as a processing center on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos and camps in Athens.

“The aim of the delegation… is to evaluate the situation on the ground in order to identify possible needs and further measures to be taken. MEPs want to check how asylum applications are being processed, the information and support that migrants are being offered and hold discussions regarding rescue operations and border management,” the press release said.

“Civil Liberties Committee MEPs have repeatedly quizzed the EU Commission about the conditions in the Greek reception centers, the number and background of staff conducting asylum interviews and the return of migrants and asylum-seekers to Turkey,” it added. “They are especially concerned about the situation of vulnerable groups, such as women with children and unaccompanied minors.”