Getting it right

The agreement reached in Brussels on Friday between the member-states of the European Union and Turkey to curb migration flows is a good deal, at least on paper. The problem is that when it comes down to brass tacks, its implementation is bound to prove incredibly tricky as the Greek state machine has already shown that it is bogged down by weaknesses that will need to be overcome.

It is crucial that the process for returning migrants and refugees to Turkey is carried out in a serious and responsible manner. For this to happen, the prime minister has a duty to rely not on friends in the party and other cronies, but on people both inside and outside the state who can get the job done.

There is a very real risk that the inflows will continue for a significant amount of time yet, and also that there will be delays and hiccups in the system, so it would be disastrous if certain people were allowed to use this as an opportunity to blame Greece for any possible failures of the system.