The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, together with the Greek Minister for Immigration and Asylum, Panagiotis Mitarachis, announced on Thursday 12 March a package of measures to alleviate the migratory pressure on the Greek islands, including a new programme for the voluntary return to their countries of origin of those present in the camps.
The Commissioner also formalised the holding of an international conference in Greece in May, sponsored in particular by UNICEF, on support for unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents.
This voluntary return programme will only be open for "one month", the Commissioner said, and will be run by the Greek authorities, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), but also the European coastguard and border guard agency, Frontex. It will only concern people who arrived in Greece "before 1 January" and may concern up to 5,000 people. Each migrant wishing to return to their country of origin will also receive 2,000 euros, the official added.
For the Commissioner, as she said at a press conference, this special temporary assistance programme will have the effect of "relieving some of the migratory pressure" in the islands where there are almost 40,000 asylum seekers, very often in appalling living conditions.
On the subject of unaccompanied minors, in addition to holding this conference, Ylva Johansson said that, to date, seven Member States had committed themselves to taking care of at least 1,600 minors or vulnerable persons on their territory. She was pleased with this "good start".
The Commissioner also discussed with the Greek authorities the decision to suspend the lodging of asylum applications for 1 month in response to the arrival of 15,000 migrants at the Greek-Turkish border.
The Commissioner called on Athens to apply international and European law. This means that every person wishing to make a claim for asylum must be given the opportunity to be heard and have their case examined before being removed. The Commission did not specify how such claims for asylum could be made, whether, for example, these persons should be allowed to enter or whether Greek officials should be sent to meet them.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was due to accompany the Commissioner, but cancelled her trip on Wednesday evening due to the coronavirus crisis and its developments in Italy and the EU. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)