However, the personnel to deal with such a large number of applications is not in place at the moment, especially as it is expected that more applications will be filed by numerous roughly 52,000 refugees and migrants at around 31 reception centers around the country who are gradually realizing that their hopes of moving on from Greece are vanishing.
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The official said migrants can be taken off the deportation list to Turkey “even at the very last moment” – and 15 others did just that Monday, leaving deportation buses when they said they wanted to apply for asylum.
Instead, the Commission proposes to activate a “distribution key” to spread asylum applicants around the EU. The aim, it said, was to encourage the refugees there and inspire “the proper response to the critical refugee situation'”.
“The current system is not sustainable”, Timmermans said. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants. The first group of people were shipped to Turkey on Monday.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey and Finland share the same viewpoints over the Syrian issue.
“The agreement will see the European Union pay an additional $3 billion to Turkey for hosting refugees”, USA Today adds.
Gkountenoudis alleged Idomeni and impromptu camps at a nearby highway gas station and a hotel, were illegal.
Authorities said that more than 1700 migrants and refugees are in the island.
Dozens shouted at police and sat on the dock chanting “open the borders”.
Kyritsis, the spokesman for the Greek government panel coordinating the migration crisis, said no operations were planned for Tuesday. Many fear the conditions in the organized camp will be worse than in the port, or that they could be restricted in their movements. The deal, which has been backed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, went underway this week.
Francis has made support for refugees a key part of his pontificate and over Easter repeatedly criticised world authorities for turning their backs on the plight of migrants.
Amid anger among migrants detained at a centre on the island of Lesbos, the deal between the European Union and Turkey was again castigated as “careless” and “fast-track”.
Europe has been hesitant to dedicate funds to deal with the problem, with countries squabbling over who should take responsibility for securing borders to prevent further migration and where those already in Europe should be resettled.
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The deportations began Monday with 202 people being sent back from Greece to Turkey, but have been suspended for technical reasons. They watched as Turkish coast guard personnel intercepted the boat shortly after it set off.
