Migrant camps at Piraeus, Elliniko to be evacuated by July 20, minister says

The port of Piraeus, where 1,284 migrants and refugees are currently camped, and the former international airport at Elliniko in southern Athens, now hosting 1,374 people, will be evacuated by July 20, Greek Shipping Minister Theodoros Dritsas said during a conference late Monday.

He said the speed of the evacuations will depend on how fast it takes to get official shelters ready for inhabitation.

Speaking at the same event, which was organized by the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and activist groups, Deputy Citizens’ Protection Minister Nikos Toskas said that about 25,000 individuals out of the roughly 55,000 currently stranded in Greece will stay in the country.

Greek and European authorities are making efforts to repatriate an unidentified number of economic migrants, he said.