EU officials today announced the bloc’s migration system could collapse in ten days and that the refugee crisis is near a breaking point.
At least 110,000 migrants have entered Europe already this year.
Divided EU seeks to avoid migrant 'humanitarian crisis' https://t.co/gRkBTNrh2r pic.twitter.com/9mAs7NtkQH
— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 25, 2016
#BREAKING: EU warns migration system could 'completely break down' in 10 days
— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 25, 2016
The AFP reported:
Greece furiously recalled its ambassador from Austria and Brussels warned the bloc’s migration system could collapse within ten days as Europe’s refugee crisis neared breaking point on Thursday.
Further chaos loomed as a French court approved the partial evacuation of the “Jungle” migrant camp near the port of Calais on the coast, a move that Belgium fears will send Britain-bound migrants coming its way.
Attempts by EU interior ministers meeting in Brussels to agree a unified response to the biggest migration crisis in the bloc’s history frayed over the fact that many states are increasingly taking matters into their own hands.
The talks descended into acrimony over Austria’s decision to freeze Greece out of a meeting earlier this week with Balkan states, at which they agreed steps that would effectively trap many asylum seekers on Greek territory.
Debt-stricken Greece — the main landing point for most migrants arriving in Europe from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries — faces huge pressure to stop “waving through” migrants to the rest of the EU.
The Greek foreign ministry hit out at what it called “19th-century” attitudes and said it was recalling its envoy from Vienna to “safeguard friendly relations between the states and peoples of Greece and Austria”.