Ministry rebuffs Schengen report

The Citizens? Protection Ministry Tuesday rebuffed a report in the Financial Times indicating that Greece may be temporarily ejected from the passport-free Schengen travel area for its failure to keep undocumented immigrants out of the bloc, noting that the country needs more help as the European Union?s most heavily burdened external border state.

The report, which emerged as the European Commission said the EU?s border monitoring agency Frontex would be bolstered early next year, invokes EC proposals foreseeing the suspension of countries from Schengen if they fail to meet their obligations as EU member states.

?Such reports create confusion and distort reality as our country has been involved in the gargantuan task, in cooperation with the European Commission and Frontex, of guarding land and sea borders,? the ministry said.

It added that the Commission should support member states ?managing the massive burden? of guarding the bloc?s external borders from illegal immigration.