Crammed migrant camps have reached their limits
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is to meet on Wednesday with the European Union’s migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos against the backdrop of mounting reports on the dismal conditions at the Moria reception and processing center on the island of Lesvos.
Some 9,000 people, including children, remain crammed into the hotspot – which has a capacity of just 3,000 – despite the fact that Greece has received 1.6 billion euros from the EU to manage the migration crisis.
Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas conceded on Tuesday that the camp has reached its limit and said efforts are under way for its decongestion.
Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos also said that some 2,000 asylum seekers will be transferred to mainland shelters within the month.
However, Vitsas insisted that “everything depends on migrant flows that have increased.” He bemoaned the fact that “the Austrian EU presidency does not speak with Turkey” and doesn’t concern itself with the East Mediterranean.
