NEWS

Greece to ask EU for extra funding for migrant influx

Greece is to ask the European Union for 30 million euros of emergency funds to deal with the growing number of undocumented migrants arriving in the country, sources have told Kathimerini.

The EU is already due to give Greece 470 million euros by 2020 for immigration-related matters, such as covering the cost of an asylum service and reception centers. However, this money covers existing operations and cannot be used to tackle problems caused by the spike in migrants reaching Greece over the last few months.

One of the things the government wants to use the emergency funds for is to hire a ferry to transport migrants from islands to reception centers or other facilities on the mainland. The coalition submitted an amendment to Parliament last week allowing authorities to bypass until the end of the year the tender process for immigration-related projects. The government says this will speed up the implementation of schemes aimed at helping migrants.

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