European Commission urges Greece to implement Dublin regulations
One day after a senior German official suggested that his country could send migrants back to Greece, the European Commission on Monday urged Greece to implement the so-called Dublin Regulation.
The agreement, which is currently under review, stipulates that migrants who have traveled on to other nations in the bloc via Greece be returned to Greece.
In an interview with Welt am Sonntag newspaper, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said: “We have done a lot in Europe in order to improve the refugee situation in Greece. This must have consequences that will enable refugees to be sent back to Greece according to Dublin regulations.”
Asked to comment on de Maiziere’s comments, European Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud on Monday said that although the EU’s refugee system is set for a shake-up, Greece ought to implement existing provisions until these are reviewed.
Due to deficiencies in Greece’s asylum processing system and the big number of migrants and refugees arriving in Greece, Berlin has suspended deportations back to Greece since 2011.
