Border management centers part of response to migration
As part of the government’s action plan to control migration, Deputy Defense Minister Alkiviadis Stefanis has been tasked with setting up two border management centers – one for the islands and one for Evros, Kathimerini understands.
The aim is to boost cooperation between the police, coast guard and border guards as the migrant influx continues unabated.
Meanwhile the publication by the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic of a letter from Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis has raised questions about plans for new reception centers on the Aegean islands.
Originally, the government had indicated that the new centers would replace existing facilities. However, the minister’s letter suggests that the new centers will operate in parallel to the existing ones.
Local authorities on the islands are planning protests over the plans.